Don't Stop Believing
by lawandorderSVUismylife
Summary: A small town-girl takes a midnight train to New York to get away from her life of abuse and loneliness. A city-boy marine takes the same train. What happens when they meet?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Heyy guys. So, as you all probably know, Forever and Always wasn't much of a success. But that's why i wrote _this_ story. I feel like i'm more into this one, and i'm really enjoying writing it. No worries, you guys. Someone offered to 'adopt' Forever and Always. It now belongs to spacekitten2700, so if you have any questions or comments about the story, please PM her. Thank you guys for sticking with me. I really appreciate it. Now, on with the story :)**

**disclaimer: i don't own any of the Law and Order: SVU characters. They all belong to Dick Wolf...sadly **

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Eighteen-year-old Olivia Benson opened her eyes, the bright sun meeting them just as she did. She groaned and shut them again, pulling her pillow over her head to block out the light. After a few minutes, she snuck a look at her nightstand clock. _6:45. _Well, it was useless to go back to bed. School started in an hour.

Olivia sat up in her bed, ignoring the blinding sun poking through her windows. As she was rubbing her eyes, the thoughts of the recent night flooded her mind. She attempted to push them away, to get them out of her head, to forget about them, but she couldn't. She just _couldn't. _

_*Flashback*_

_Olivia walked into the door at exactly 9:45. Scratch that…she _snuck _into the door at 9:45. Her mind was racing. Serena was going to kill her! Before Olivia left for the party earlier that night, Serena made her _promise _that she would be home no later than 9:30. But Olivia had been having the time of her life. She checked the clock every half-hour while she was there, but eventually, she completely forgot about the time. This was the first time she had actually been invited to a party in high school!_

_Ever since she was young, Olivia was the 'outcast' of her neighborhood. She was known everywhere as 'the girl with the alcoholic mother'. Parents wouldn't let their children go to Olivia's house in grade school. Not even when they were in eight grade. Because of her mother, no one liked her. No one talked to her. She tried her whole entire grade school life to make friends, but to no avail. She was the main attraction of the boys' fun-making. And she never understood why. _

_It never got better during high school. She tried to keep her at-home life hidden from all the kids at school, and it did work. But, of course, it didn't work for long. Pretty soon, someone found out. And that someone told someone else. And then _that _someone told someone else. Eventually, everyone at her school knew about her abusive alcoholic mother. And the worst part? No one ever even _tried _to put a stop to it. _

_Olivia never had friends in high school, so when she was invited to this party, she literally flipped out. She went out and bought the cutest party dress she could find, within the limit of fifty dollars. Her mom was always too drunk too work so Olivia made most of the money for the two of them. She worked at the local pool every weekend and catered for about four different restaurants. She didn't make a lot of many, but she made enough for them both to get around. _

_After finding an adorable dress, she went home, eager and excited to see what Serena would think. She walked through the door, yelling "Mom! I'm home!" But she didn't hear an answer. She ran to her mom's room, but she was nowhere to be found in there either. Finally, after ten minutes of looking, she found Serena in the backyard, planting flowers. Olivia found this strange. Usually, Serena would be inside drinking. She _never _'had the time' to plant. _

_Olivia shrugged it off though, running outside anyway. She could barely contain her excitement. Serena noticed her daughter sprinting towards her and stood up. _

"_Hey sweetie," were the first words out of Serena's mouth when Olivia ran up to her, dress in hand. "How was school?"_

_Olivia smiled. Her mother hadn't started drinking yet tonight! Which meant that she was like any other normal mother. No violence. No yelling. No pain…yet._

"_Um, it was good," she lied. She didn't feel like explaining how everyone _really _treated her._

_Serena noticed the dress in her daughter's arms. "Going somewhere tonight?" she asked suspiciously, a smile playing on her lips. "Maybe with a boy?"_

_Olivia smirked. '_yeah right.' _"Actually, if it was okay with you, I was kinda invited to a party tonight."_

_Serena's brow raised. "A party? Really?"_

_Olivia nodded excitedly. "Yeah. And I was sorta wondering if I could go. I mean, if that's okay with you. I got a dress and everything!" She unfolded the dress in her arms and showed it to her mom._

_Serena smiled and took the dress, looking at it. "This is absolutely beautiful, Liv."_

_Olivia loved it when she called her by her nickname. It showed that her mom actually had some compassion for her. Usually, when she was drunk, Serena called Olivia 'bitch', or 'slut'. When she was sober, however, it was like she actually _did _love Olivia like any other normal mother should love their child. But times like these came once, maybe twice a month. Serena wasn't sober often._

"_So," Olivia began slowly, "Does that mean…I can go?"_

_Serena saw the pleading in Olivia's eyes and had to give in to it. "Alright, sure. I'm sure you'll have fun."_

_Olivia's smile spread across her face. "Thanks so much, Mom!" And with that, she ran back inside._

_Two hours later, Olivia stood in her room, staring at herself in the mirror. Her dress was shining in the light from her lamp and her brown eyes, for some odd reason, seemed to stand out. It could have been from the eye-liner she was wearing, or from her blushed cheeks. Olivia smiled to herself. This was the first time she had felt beautiful in a _long _time. _

_Her dress flowed about a foot above her knee, and it was strapless. She was olive-skinned, so being tan wasn't a problem for her. Her light blue heals seemed to go perfectly with her darkened blue dress. Olivia put the finishing touches to her make-up on and then headed downstairs, hoping, praying, that her mother hadn't gotten the alcohol out yet._

_As soon as she reached her staircase, however, she realized her prayers had not been answered. She heard glasses being thrown, glasses breaking. She heard her mom pour herself another bottle of something and then she heard the cork of a wine bottle pop off. _

_Olivia started shaking. "Fuck," she whispered to herself. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." This wasn't good. Her mom was already drunk. And it was only 6:45! _

_Olivia tiptoed down the stairs, trying not to make any sound at all. The last thing she wanted was for her mom to hear her and call her a bitch, telling her how much of a mistake she was, then not letting her go to the party. _

_She made it down the stairs, then attempted to go the back way to their door. Right as she was opening the door, Serena heard her. _

"_Olivia? Olivia, is that you?" _

_Olivia hung her head, tears already forming in her eyes. _'Here we go' _she thought to herself. Shutting the door, she made her way to the kitchen, where her mom was. And as soon as Olivia saw her mom, she knew she was in for it. _

"_Olivia," Serena spat. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"_

"_You told me I could go to the party," Olivia answered back, never making eye contact._

"_Look at me when I'm speaking to you!" Serena yelled._

_Olivia immediately brought her head up, making direct eye contact with her mom. "I'm sorry," she whispered. _

_Serena took another long sip of the beer she was holding in her hand, staring Olivia down. After a minute or so, she laughed. "You look like a whore, you know that?" she stated matter-of-factly. _

_Olivia sighed. She knew this was coming. She just kept her mouth closed, hoping it would all be over with soon. _

"_Did you hear me?" Serena asked, starting towards her. "Did you hear what I said to you Olivia?"_

_Olivia took a step back. "Yes," she mumbled. _

"_Do NOT mumble when you're talking to me!" Serena yelled in her face. _

_Olivia winced, taking another step back. She could smell the alcohol in her breath. "I'm sorry," she found herself repeating. _

"_You should be, you slut!" Serena roared. _

_Olivia put her hands out to defend her face, expecting a slap. Nothing ever came, though. She peeked through her fingers. Serena was just watching her. She slowly brought her hands back down to her sides. _

_Serena stared Olivia down, never breaking eye contact once. Olivia started to get scared again. After all, he mom was unpredictable. _

_After a good two minutes, Serena chuckled to herself. "You're a mistake," she muttered to Olivia. "You aren't wanted. You never _were_ wanted. No one loves you. And no boy will ever fall in love with someone like you. You're a no-good dirty slut. And you'll never change." Serena brought the bottle back up to her lips and took a long swig. _

_A tear fell down Olivia's cheek, smearing her makeup. She didn't understand. She never had understood. What had she done to deserve this? What had she done, that made her own mother want to beat her? Call her a slut? A whore? What had she done?_

_Serena noticed the tear rolling down her daughter's cheek. "Stop crying, you baby. You're ridiculous. Get outa my sight." _

_Olivia, holding back a sob, nodded before turning around and making her way to the door. However, right before she reached it, she heard her mother's cruel voice again._

"_Oh, and Olivia," she snarled._

_Olivia turned back around. "Yes, mom?"_

"_You better be home by 9:30 tonight, otherwise you know what happens."_

_Olivia nodded. She did know what would happen. Odds are, she would have a black eye or a broken wrist the next day if she didn't obey the command._

"_Oh, and one more thing," Serena continued. _

_Olivia had almost had enough. "Yes?" _

_Serena scowled. "You better not open your legs to any random guy tonight. Though, knowing the slut that you are, you probably will." And with that, Serena left into the other room. _

_Olivia stood there, tears rolling down her face. She couldn't believe what her mom had just said to her. Her own mother! Olivia pushed back a sob, and before Serena even had time to turn around and insult her again, she ran out the door. _

_The party ended up being amazingly fun. Almost as much fun as she'd ever had in her life. It was complete with hot guys, shots, food, and so much more. She met a few people who were actually nice to her and made a couple of friends. Before she knew it, it was 9:20. _

_She panicked. Calling a cab, she said good-bye to the few people she met and ran outside. By the time the cab got there, it was already 9:30. _

_After about fifteen minutes of driving, she finally got to her house. Paying the driver, she got out and ran to her door. _

_She snuck in at 9:45, trying to be as quiet as possible. Seeing no sign of her mom in the kitchen or family room, she started her way up the stairs. Half way up, she heard someone clear their throat behind her. This was it. She was dead._

_Serena's eyes were filled with fury. Olivia knew she was in for it. This was gonna be worth a black eye, at least. _

"_Olivia," Serena spat. "What the hell did I tell you before you left?" _

"_To be back by 9:30," Olivia whispered, looking at the ground._

"_Exactly. And what time is it?" _

_Olivia sighed. "9:45."_

_Serena nodded and motioned for Olivia to come down the stairs. Olivia followed her command, slowly descending downstairs. _

_As soon as she reached the bottom, Serena grabbed her arm and smacked her in the face "You listen to me when I tell you what to do!" Serena spat in her face._

_Olivia nodded, trying not to pay any attention to the slaps Serena kept giving her. She was used to this. It happened almost every night, so she had grown numb to it. After ten minutes of punches, slaps, and kicks, Serena stopped. _

"_Go to bed, you useless piece of shit," she growled, pushing Olivia down on the steps. Then, she walked over to the couch, flopped down, and within five minutes, she was out cold. _

_Olivia turned around and ran upstairs, holding back yelps of pain with every step she took. Once she reached her room, she quickly got into her pajamas, wincing every time her hands touched one of the bruises forming on her olive skin. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she slowly climbed into her bed, and within minutes, she was asleep. _

_*End Flashback*_

Olivia stood up from her bed and made her way to the bathroom. She reached her shower and turned it on. After taking off her pajamas, she slowly stepped under the water, shivering at first. The warm water felt wonderful, slipping and sliding across her bruises up and down her arms and all down her legs. She closed her eyes, feeling the warm water running over her sore body.

After she climbed out of the shower, she grabbed a towel from the bathroom closet and gently wiped her face, making sure she didn't apply too much pressure to her sore face. When she brought her towel down from her face, she realized was facing the mirror. As soon as she saw her reflection, she gasped.

Her right eye was so swollen and blue that she was surprised that she could still see out of it. There was a cut from her left eye down to the side of her nose. She could tell that it had probably been bleeding the night before while she slept. Her cheeks were still red from all the slaps she had gotten, and on the side of her arm, she had popped a blood vessel.

Tears started forming in Olivia's eyes. She couldn't go through this again. She couldn't have everyone staring at her in school again. Looking at her like she was a freak, an outcast. She just couldn't tolerate it anymore. She just couldn't. This was the last straw.

"I'm not doing this anymore," she said to herself. "I'm not. I can't." She dried herself off and went back to her room. She got her clothes on and sat down on her bed, thinking. Before she knew it, she found herself talking to someone that she had never really turned to before. God.

"Why me?" she asked, looking up. "Why did you choose me, God? What did I do to deserve all this? Tell me!" She grabbed a pillow and threw it at her wall, knocking down a picture frame. As it hit the ground, the glass shattered all over her room.

She didn't care about the glass or the loud noise it made when it hit the ground. She knew her mom was probably still downstairs on the sofa, a hangover attacking her. Serena probably didn't even hear the glass shattering. And if she did, she would be too tired and hung-over to do anything to Olivia for making a mess in her room.

Olivia realized something just then. This was what her life was. This was what it was made for. She would always be the 'victim'. The 'abused'. She would always be known around her little town as 'the girl with the abusive mother'. Every night, she had gone through beating after beating. And for what? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Her mother was right. She was a mistake.

Olivia flopped back on her bed and quietly sobbed to herself. She hated her life. She was worthless. She was the reason her mother acted like she did every night. She was the reason why her mother was an alcoholic. Her mom never loved her. She never would. She was just a constant reminder of something that ruined her mother's life. And she always would be…unless she did something about it.

Olivia realized something else, then and there. What if she left? Her mother obviously didn't want her. And truth be told, Olivia didn't really want her mom either. Her whole life was spent trying to earn Serena's respect and love. But she never did. And she knew that she probably never would, either. So what was the point of staying?

Olivia thought about it. She could easily leave. Just _leave. _Serena wouldn't care. She would probably not even notice. Olivia pondered the idea. She knew exactly what to do. All she needed was transportation. She had taken the train many times to get away from her house for a day or two, so a train was perfect.

Olivia smiled to herself. She was going to leave! No more beatings. No more feeling like a freak, a loser. No more being made fun of. Thinking of all of this made Olivia even more excited. She was finally gonna feel normal!

She decided she wasn't going to go to school today. It wouldn't matter anyway. No one liked her. They probably wouldn't even notice she was gone. She smiled to herself. _'Fuck them,' _she thought to herself. '_I'm gonna go live my life while I still can,'. _

She quickly grabbed her suitcase from under her bed. Pulling it open, she ran to her closet and started grabbing any item of clothing she could find. After filling her whole entire suitcase full of as many clothes as she could, she grabbed a small bag and filled it with toothpaste, her toothbrush, and anything else from the bathroom she would need. After she filled the bag up, she put it in a little pocket on the side of her suitcase and zipped everything up. In that little suitcase were all the things she was going to live on for Heaven knows how long.

Olivia quickly put the suitcase back under her bed. She wasn't going to leave just quite yet. She wanted time. Time to say goodbye? She didn't know. She just wanted time.

She slowly walked down the stars and into the kitchen before grabbing food out of the pantry for breakfast. She noticed her mother, still passed out from last night, on the sofa, softly snoring. Even if she did happen to wake up, she wouldn't care if Olivia wasn't in school. And Olivia knew this.

After eating, Olivia decided she wanted to take a walk. She slid out the door and walked all around her little neighborhood. She never realized how cute the small town she had lived all her life was. There were little apple tree groves around some of her neighbors' houses and each person's lawn was cut perfectly. All except for hers, of course. Serena never cared much about how pretty her yard looked. That's another reason why Olivia was surprised when she saw her mom planting in their back yard the day before.

Olivia passed a little girl walking her dog. She smiled at Olivia, who gladly returned it. She wasn't used to people smiling at her. It wasn't something many people at her school did. But the gesture that the little girl just made towards Olivia made her day.

Olivia passed a few other houses, then decided to turned back around. She took in the beautiful scenery of the neighborhood as she walked, and before she knew it, she was back home. She walked in the door and saw Serena still on the couch. Olivia sighed. She knew it was going to be one of those days again. Serena wouldn't get up until about two. Then she would start drinking again. Then came the beatings.

Olivia realized she was going to have to leave before Serena woke up. She didn't feel like suffering again. So she ran upstairs to her room and grabbed her suitcase. Carefully and quietly bringing it downstairs, she headed straight for the kitchen. Grabbing a pen and a sheet of paper, she started writing a note.

_Mom,_

_When you wake up, I'll be gone. Please don't come looking for me. I promise I'll be fine. I'm going to go live my life. And because I'm gone, you'll be able to live yours too! I know that you'll be happier without me here. You will no longer have a constant reminder living in your house day to day. Please don't be mad at me. I'm doing this because I love you. Hopefully you'll understand. Maybe one day, I'll come back and visit. Maybe. I love you mom, and I hope you go live your life while you can. Without me. _

_Your daughter,_

_Olivia_

Olivia read over her note twice before putting it back onto the counter. She felt bad, horrible almost, for lying in the note she had just written. Truth is, she really _didn't _love her mother that much. And she highly doubted she was _ever _going to come back and visit. She was finished with this hell she was living in. Done. No more.

A tear slipped out her eye and down her cheek as she thought about what she about to do. She was about to leave everything she had ever lived with behind. But truth be told, she really didn't care. She had lived with pain, regret, and sorrow her whole life. And now that she thought about it, leaving that behind wouldn't be that bad.

She walked to the door, taking in the last surroundings of the house she had lived in her whole live. She looked at her mom laying on her couch and debated whether or not to give her a kiss before she left. After about a minute, she walked over and gave her a small peck on her cheek. Serena never stirred.

"Goodbye mom," Olivia whispered, and with that, she turned around and walked out the door.

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><p>The train station was awfully crowded for it being 7:30 at night. Olivia had been sitting at the station for a few hours, waiting for the right time to buy her ticket. She didn't want to leave quite yet, for some odd reason.<p>

She watched as a mom struggled with her daughter to board a train that had just arrived. The little girl was screaming and pulling away in resistance. The scene was causing a few bystanders to glance over and see what was happening. Olivia couldn't help but wonder if that was the way she was with her mother when she was younger.

A little boy walked by Olivia, pulled by what looked like his older brother. The older brother was telling him that when they got to New York, he could pick a treat from the train station there.

Olivia thought over his words. _'New York,' _she thought to herself. _'How fun would that be?' _She realized that she hadn't even figured out where to go yet. Where she was going to runaway to. '_New York would be perfect!' _she thought to herself. She smiled. This might actually be…fun!

Olivia stood up and ran to the ticket booth. She bought a one-way ticket to New York and looked at it.

"Midnight?_" _she said out loud to herself. "The train leaves at _midnight_?" What if that was too late? What if her mom happened to call the police to find her and they caught her before she could leave? What if she decided she didn't want to go anymore by the time midnight came? What if? All these questions played over in Olivia's mind. Then she sighed. She was getting nervous. Too nervous.

"Everything's gonna be fine," she said to herself. "Just fine."

Olivia sat down, trying to relax. Every five minutes, she would look at the clock, wishing time would go faster. She would take small little walks around the station, watching other families and couples boarding and getting off of trains. She watched the couples with envy. Her whole life, Olivia wished that a Prince Charming would find her and 'sweep her off her feet'. Save her from the hell she was living in. But the Prince Charming, so to speak, never came. Soon after her sophomore year, Olivia gave up looking for love. She knew it wouldn't happen. She always told herself that she wasn't beautiful enough for a man to marry. For a man to love.

A little baby's crying brought her out of her thoughts. Olivia looked at the clock on the wall. It was already eleven! Olivia couldn't believe that time had passed by so quickly!

She ran to the platform where her train was supposed to be. Sitting down on the bench right next to the platform, she smiled to herself. This was it. She was finally going to leave. Leave the pain, the abuse…_everything!_

Before she knew it, the train pulled up right in front of her. Passengers began getting off, while the others started getting on. Olivia ran to the doors of the train, looking up inside. She slowly took a small step onto the steps of the train. Then another. Then another_. _Soon, she was inside.

She went to the end car of the train, where only about four or five people were sitting. She chose a seat next to a window. Across from her was another seat, empty. She set her luggage down onto it and sat down. Leaning back, she looked out the train window. The station was still awfully crowded, considering it was midnight.

After about fifteen minutes, Olivia pulled a book out of her bag. Just as she began to read, the train jerked. Then, it jerked again. And soon enough, the train was rolling along the track, the steady rhythm soothing Olivia.

An old man, who looked like he was in his early seventies, came by Olivia, asking for her ticket. She happily gave it to him, and he smiled at her.

"So you're off to New York, miss," he said kindly, looking at her ticket. The question was more of a comment than it was a question.

Olivia nodded. "Yep."

"I've been to New York before," he stated. "It's great fun."

"I'm hoping it will be that way for me, too," she replied, returning a smile.

The man handed Olivia back her ticket. "Good luck, then miss," he said before walking away.

Olivia nodded and lay back, putting her book to the side. And before she knew it, she was asleep.

_**A/N: Alright, so how'd you like it? I already have the next few chapters done, so if you want more, just tell me. Oh, and don't worry...if you're wondering where the 'city-boy marine' is, he'll definitely be in the next chapter. Only if you want another chapter though ;) thanks for reviewing!**_

_**-lawandorderSVUismylife-**_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: hey guys! thank you all so much for all the reviews you gave me. i feel like this story's already so popular ;D **

**I've decided that i'm gonna give a few shout-outs, so here ya go...**

_***Jennifer Catlin DiNozzo:**_

_I normally don't like fics where the characters are teenagers . . . But I'm gonna give this one a shot because I really like it so far! Great chapter and I can't wait for the next one!_

**you know what? when i started on fanfiction, i didn't really like them either. but when i gave them a chance, i started loving them. so thank you so much for giving this one a chance. i really appreciate it :)**

****_*LiviotStabensler: _****

_UH-OH! Think I found a best seller! Keep this going gurl. LOVIN IT!_

**thank you so much! you don't know how good it feels to hear that :)**

__***K.E.B.123:**__

_Sooo. Im too lazy to login but i wanted to give you a review. _  
><em>let me first say i love this idea! And secondly, my father is a huge journey fan and do that song was definitely playing in my head the entire time i was reading this and thirdly, update soon! :)<em>

**thank you so much! i'm also a journey fan and as i was listening to this song, the idea just popped into my head. and whenever i write a chapter, i always play this song. i hope this update is fast enough for you :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Olivia woke up a little while later. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking at her watch. It was four in the morning. Another four hours and she would be in New York. She turned her head and looked out the window. What she saw made her gasp. Beautiful country landscape surrounded the train. There were trees among trees and grass that stretched as far as Olivia could see. And there were even a few fields, filled with horses and cows. The sun was slowly starting to peek from beyond the trees. Olivia had always wanted to see the country. Serena would promise to take her, but always forgot. And whenever Olivia reminded her of that promise, Serena would yell at Olivia, saying that she was 'too busy to take her good-for-nothing daughter to go see some stupid hillbilly farmers'. Olivia, on the other hand, had always wanted to go horseback riding, or fishing, or even milk a cow. It was one of the things she wanted to do before she died.

The same old man that asked for Olivia's ticket hours before came up to her. "Would you like anything to drink, miss?" he asked politely.

"Sure. Can I have a water please?" Olivia responded.

The man nodded. "Certainly. I'll go get that for you right now, miss." He turned around and made his way back to the front of the train. Olivia watched him leave.

A few minutes later, he came back to her seat, carrying a water bottle and pretzels. "I thought you might've been hungry, miss, so I brought you pretzels, too," he said to Olivia, handing her the water and food.

Olivia smiled kindly. "Thank you very much. And actually, I was kinda hungry," she replied, opening the water and taking a long sip. Then, she opened the beg of pretzels. "Would you like one," she asked the man.

The man shook his head. "No thank you, miss. Train policy," he responded.

Olivia nodded, confused. _'Train policy? What, workers cant take food from passengers, even if the passengers offer?' _She waved it off and looked back at the man. "Oh, and you can call me Olivia. When people call me 'miss', I feel too old." She smiled.

The kind old man laughed. "Alright, _Olivia_. Then you can call me Joe."

Olivia smiled, then she thought of something. "Would you like to sit down and talk with me…Joe?" she asked. "I'm getting kinda bored."

Joe smiled warmly. "I would love to, but my boss would get terribly mad at me."

Olivia shrugged. "Who cares. Your boss won't care if you're keeping a passenger company, will he?"

Joe looked down at his hands. After a few seconds, he looked back up at her. "I…I guess not," he said slowly. "Besides, I have to retire soon anyway. The worst he could do is fire me."

"See? That's a good way to look at it," Olivia said, trying to lighten the mood.

Joe chuckled. "Yes, I suppose."

Olivia sat up and moved her luggage, which was still sitting on the empty chair across from her. Joe sat down and looked at her.

"So Joe, how long have you been working here? On this train, I mean," Olivia asked.

Joe thought for a moment. "Ever since I graduated college, I guess. I majored in engineering," he replied.

Olivia nodded, trying to look amused. "Do you have a family? A wife? Kids?"

Joe looked down at his hands. Olivia could tell she had said something wrong.

"Um, well…yes, Miss Olivia," Joe sputtered quietly. "I did have a wife. She was my high school sweetheart."

Olivia could tell something was missing from his story. His sparkling eyes turned into ones of sadness.

"What happened?" Olivia asked, leaning slightly forward.

Joe looked up at her. "She got sick. Very sick, Miss Olivia. She passed away two years ago." Tears started forming in his eyes. Before Olivia could say anything, he wiped his eyes and changed the subject. "So, miss Olivia. Why are you headed to New York?"

Olivia realized what he had done, and went along with it. She didn't want to cause this sweet old man any more pain of his past. Thinking about the question he had just asked her, she sighed. "My mother."

"Your mother?" Joe asked, frowning.

"Yes," Olivia replied. She debated on whether or not to tell the man sitting in front of her about her previous life. About the abuse and the loneliness. After about a minute, she thought _'what the hell?'_

"Ever since I was younger, my mother was an alcoholic," she started. "Every night, she beat me. And every morning, she was too hung-over to even remember."

The soft look in Joe's eyes went to a look of pity. "Oh, miss, I'm so sorry," he said apologetically.

Olivia waved it off. " It's okay. I got used to it after awhile."

Joe looked at her. "If you don't mind me asking," he said slowly, "what caused your mother to do this?"

Tears started to form in Olivia's eyes. "Um, I…my mom…well, she was raped. When she was young. And I'm the result of that rape." Olivia paused, and a tear rolled down her face. "And I'm a constant reminder for her of that night."

Joe was speechless. He sat there, feeling horrible for the poor young girl sitting across from him. He wasn't sure what to say. In his fifty years of working on that train, no passenger had everasked to even _talk_ to him, let alone tell him the their history of their past. This girl, this young girl who he had never met before, just told him one of her darkest secrets. And he didn't even have an answer for her.

Olivia noticed his speechlessness. She smiled softly. "It's okay, Joe," she said slowly. "Not many people have answers when I tell them this."

Joe frowned, thinking about what she just said. "Do you tell a lot of people about this?" he asked.

Olivia shook her head. "Not usually. Just people I trust."

"So you trust me?" Joe asked.

Olivia nodded. "Believe me, Joe. I know an untrustworthy man when I see one. And you…definitely aren't one."

Joe smiled a warm, old man smile. "Why thank you, Miss Olivia."

"No problem, Joe," Olivia responded.

Just then, the captain of the train spoke. "_We will be arriving to New York in the next few hours. In approximately ten minutes, we will be stopping in New Jersey for the next pick-up…"_

Olivia looked at Joe. "Pick up?"

"Yeah. More passengers are boarding at the station there," he replied. Olivia nodded.

"_We ask that none of you get off of the train unless New Jersey is your destination," _the captain continued._ "Thank you very much, and enjoy the rest of your ride."_

Joe started to stand up, straightening his pants. "Well, Miss Olivia, I really should be going."

Olivia nodded. "Thank you for keeping me company, Joe," she said. "I haven't had many people who would talk to me about this."

Joe waved his hand, as if to wave off her thank-you. "It was no problem. You are a brave and pretty, young lady, Olivia. I know that you'll love New York. It's the city of dreams, you know?"

Olivia laughed. "Thank you, Joe. I appreciate it."

Joe smiled and tipped his hat before turning around and walking away.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, the train came to a stop. Olivia peered out her window and saw the bustling New Jersey train station. Many people were getting off the train, but she was sure more were stepping on.<p>

The crowd outside her window was full of all kinds of people and animals. Families, business men, and she thought she even saw a dog run across the platform.

"New Jersey must be a crazy place," she mumbled to herself.

Then, the door to the train car she was in flung open, and loads of people started pouring in. Olivia quickly put her suitcase back on the empty chair she was sitting across from. She didn't feel like sitting next to a mother holding a crying baby, or a man she didn't know. A few people walked past her, asking if the seat was taken. And each time, she answered 'yes'.

After only ten minutes, her car was completely filled up. Besides the one seat across from her, of course. Her train was very small, holding only about three or four cars, so she understood why so many people were crowded in here.

Then, when she didn't think the train car could hold any more people, the door swung open one more time. But instead of having a business man standing there, or a mother with children, or an annoying man talking on his cell phone, someone else stepped through the door.

Olivia recognized who, or rather _what, _he was as soon as she saw his outfit.

"He's a marine," she whispered to herself.

Olivia studied him while he stood at the door. He looked about nineteen or twenty. His hair was shaved, but not quit so short that you could see his scalp. It was an original army buzz cut. The U.S. Marine's logo stood out brightly on the side of his arm, sewed into his uniform. His boots were perfectly shined, just like his eyes. The crystal blue seemed to stand out from where Olivia was sitting. His eyes reminded her of a crystal clear ocean, and when he looked at her, she felt like she was going to melt. Olivia realized something. _'He's drop dead gorgeous!' _she thought to herself.

Then, Olivia realized something else. The marine was staring right back at her! Shit.

'_Oh, God,' _Olivia thought to herself. _'He saw me staring at him! The hot marine just saw me staring at him. This is not good. So not good!'_

The marine closed the train door behind him and started to make his way towards Olivia.

Olivia panicked. _'Oh, God. Oh, god oh, god oh, god! He's walking towards me! Okay, if he asked why you're staring at him, just make up an excuse. Say, um, there was something on his suit, or…or…'_

"Hi."

Olivia was pulled out of her thinking by a voice, which sounded almost angelic. She looked up. It was him.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked, gesturing towards the seat her luggage was sitting on.

Olivia's mouth went dry. "Um…uhh…I mean…no." She mentally slapped herself. _'Wow Olivia. Real smooth.'_

She leaned over and grabbed her suitcase, throwing it on the ground. The marine smiled at her, a smile that made her heart melt, and sat down across from her.

Olivia sat there, memorized by the young man sitting across from her. Now that he was closer, she could see his facial features much better. He looked like he hadn't shaved in a day or so, scruff forming on his chin. His ocean-blue eyes seemed to pierce her brown orbs, and she thought she was looking at an angel straight from Heaven.

"You okay?" the marine asked her, his eyebrow rising.

Olivia stopped staring and nodded sheepishly, a blush creeping up to her cheeks. "Um, yeah. Sorry."

The marine laughed. "It's cool."

They sat there for a few minutes in silence, neither one of them knowing what to say. Olivia made sure she wasn't caught staring again. Besides, it was the _marine_ who was staring at _her _now. She pretended not to notice, but on the inside, she was definitely smiling. A hot marine was checking _her _out. It's not like she was going to stop that. This was the first guy in a while that actually paid attention to her.

When the marine realized she saw him staring, he quickly cleared his throat. His cheeks grew pink and Olivia smiled.

"So," the marine said, trying to get away from the subject at hand, "um…how…how are you?"

Olivia smirked. "Is that your way of starting a conversation?"

The marine shrugged. "Unless you have something better," he replied, a smile playing on his lips.

Olivia chuckled. "I'm Olivia," she said, outstretching her hand towards him. "Olivia Benson."

He reached for it. "Elliot Stabler," he replied, shaking her hand firmly.

Olivia nodded. "So…_Elliot, _I see you're a marine."

Elliot chuckled. "Yep. Second year."

"Wait," Olivia said, frowning. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen," Elliot replied casually.

Olivia nodded skeptically. Elliot noticed.

"What? Do you not believe me?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, no. I believe you. It's just…you said it was your _second_ year. And you're only nineteen."

Elliot nodded. "Yeah. I left my house when I was seventeen. I joined the Marines that year."

"Is that even legal?" Olivia asked.

"What? Joining the Marines at age seventeen?" Elliot shrugged. "Probably. But I really didn't care. I was glad to get out of my house."

Olivia frowned. "How come?"

"Well, you see," Elliot began, "my dad…he was a cop. And he was _harsh_. He would beat me and my brother whenever we did something wrong. And we weren't the _best _behaving kids, so usually…we were beat often. I was going to wait until I turned eighteen and then I was going to runaway with my brother, but this opportunity came to be in the Marines, and I just couldn't wait any longer."

Elliot looked at Olivia, who was nodding her head. She understood him, after all.

"That's it?" he asked, all of a sudden.

Olivia frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, usually when I tell people that, they want to know more. Like, where was my mom when all of this happened? Or did my dad ever go to prison?" Elliot responded.

Olivia shrugged. "I guess I just know how you feel," she replied.

Elliot frowned. "What do you mean?"

'_Here we go again,' _Olivia thought to herself. She took a deep breath. "Well, my mom…she was an alcoholic. Every night, she would beat me." She stopped for a moment and touched her cheek. She realized it wasn't swollen anymore and inwardly sighed in relief. "Anyway, every night, she would get drunk and beat me. I dreamt of running away. Of leaving everything behind. Just going anywhere, you know?"

Elliot nodded, feeling like his life was nothing compared to hers.

"Well," she continued, "Last night, I went to a party. She specifically told me to be home by 9:30." Tears started forming in Olivia's eyes, and Elliot noticed. "I should have," Olivia whispered. "I should have listened to her. But I was having so much fun. And I lost track of the time. It was my fault. She didn't mean to do anything. It was my fault!"

Elliot watched as tears started rolling down her cheek. He shook his head. "No, Olivia. It wasn't your fault. Nothing, and I mean _nothing, _makes it okay for your mom to hit you."

Olivia shook her head. "But she told me to be home by 9:30! And I came back at 9:45. It _was _my fault. She didn't mean to hit me. It was the alcohol. I know it."

Elliot watched as she cried silently. He wished he could stand up and hug her, but he just met her. It would be too weird.

After about five minutes, Olivia stopped crying. She looked up at Elliot, who was still watching her with sorrow in his eyes. She chuckled slightly. "I'm sorry. That didn't go as planned," she joked. "And I don't usually cry that much."

Elliot smiled back, happy that she was trying to lighten the mood. "It's okay. I know how you feel. You know, it's good to cry. Whenever my dad hit me, I wouldn't cry in his face. He claimed that it showed weakness. But when I ran up to my room, I would cry like a baby for _hours_. Even when I turned seventeen."

Olivia nodded. "Thanks. Actually, that did make me feel a little better. I don't feel like that much of a baby now." She smiled.

Before he could answer back, she decided to change the subject. "So, enough of my life. It's your turn."

Elliot leaned back in his chair. "What would you like to know?" he asked.

"Well, um…what's life like as a marine?" Olivia asked.

Elliot thought for a minute. "Well, it's tough. Difficult. I've seen things that you've probably never seen, and hopefully you don't."

"Like what?" Olivia questioned, already intrigued.

"I'm not sure if you'd wanna know," he replied. "A marine's life…it's hard. We do things that no one else wants to do." He saw Olivia's confused face and chuckled to himself. "For example," he began, "we're considered the toughest men out there. The Navy deals with ships. So basically, they're out in the ocean most of the time. The Air Force…well, that's the sky. So they fly the jets, the helicopters, and the planes. The army…they're the land. They have the tanks, the trucks…al that stuff. But the NAVY…they do whatever they have to. We're out there in the ocean, up in the sky, fighting on land. We do _everything."_

Olivia nodded. "So, you guys are pretty hardcore," she said, a smirk playing on her lips.

Elliot laughed. "I guess you could say that. Usually a marine trains for a little less than a year. I graduated top of my class. Took me only two months." He said, a cocky smile forming on his lips.

Olivia smirked. "You're cool," she replied, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"I know," Elliot responded, returning her smirk.

Olivia shook her head, rolling her eyes. They both got quiet again. Olivia rested her head on the train window, staring out into the vast rolling hills she was starting to see again. They really were beautiful. And in no time at all, Elliot was forgotten, and the slight rocking of the train lulled Olivia right to sleep.

**A/N: So, how was that? MWlover8 and Jessica, you guys got your Marine. ) Like i said before, thanks so much for all the kind reviews. You guys really do make my day. **

**-lawandorderSVUismylife-**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Alright guys, here's chapter three. Like i said before, thank you all so much for the kind reviews. It means alot. **

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><p><em><strong>*ladybugsmomma* <strong>_

_This was totally sweet and awesome! I love how they instantly seemed to bond with each other and seem to have an understanding where the other was coming from! It's just like in the show that they have a way of balancing each other out! I can't wait to read more!_

**One of my favorite parts about Benson and Stabler in the show is how they balance each other out! And you realized it, too! Thank you for reviewing, and here's mor for you to read ;)**

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><p><em><strong>*edge15684*<strong>_

_I like the fact that she met Elliot like this. Who can resists a marine in uniform?_

**No one can resist a man in a uniform, especially when it's Elliot Stabler! ;)**

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><p><em><strong>*SilvrBlade*<strong>_

_This is such a good story. :) I love it soooo much! Update soon!_

**Thank you, Chica! Oh, and did i ever mention i love your stories too? ;) Is this update fast enough? :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Olivia woke up a few hours later with the train coming to a stop. She blinked and looked out the window. The train was in a dark, crowded train platform. There were people running around everywhere, trying to hop onto trains and people rushing off. A cat was bolting in a out of peoples' feet, and when Olivia looked at the ground, she even saw a rat scuttle under the train.

"Like what you see?" a voice asked across from her.

Olivia jumped, from the sudden voice. She had completely forgot that Elliot was still there.

He saw her jump, which caused him to laugh. "Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Olivia sat up, wiping her hair out of her eyes. "It's 'kay," she replied. Then she frowned. "Where are we?"

Elliot's face turned into confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.

The frown on Olivia's face got bigger. "What do you mean 'what do you mean'? Where are we?" she asked again, pointing out her window.

Elliot's face turned to understanding, and he laughed again. "I guess you've never been to many city train stations," he said.

Olivia's face turned to confusion, and he shook his head, standing up and stretching. "This," he said, pointing out her window, "this…is New York."

Olivia looked out the window again and scrunched her nose. "_This?" _she asked with disgust.

"Yeah," Elliot replied. "This."

Olivia shrugged and stood up, stretching. "I guess it's not as cool as people say."

Elliot frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well," began Olivia, "Doesn't New York have huge skyscrapers? And huge parks? And _a lot _of people?"

Elliot laughed. "Liv," he started, then stopped. He had just met this girl an hour or two before and he's already calling her _Liv? _He mentally slapped himself. "Olivia," he corrected himself, "you haven't seen the _outside _yet. This is just the inside of the train station."

Olivia mentally smacked herself. "I knew that," she said, smirking.

Elliot nodded. "Uhh huh. Alright."

Olivia watched as he bent down and picked up his suitcase, which was sitting on the floor right next to hers. Then, he picked up hers too, handing it to her. He smiled and reached for it, and right as she did, their hands brushed together for a quick second. Olivia pulled back, a blush quickly forming on her cheeks. "Um, thank you," she said quickly.

Elliot nodded. "No problem," he replied, hoping that Olivia wasn't seeing the blush that crept up to _his _cheeks.

They both started walking to the door of the train, weaving in and out of peoples' ways. Once they reached the door, Elliot held out his hand, motioning for Olivia to get off first.

Olivia smirked. "What a gentleman," she said sarcastically, stepping down.

Elliot shrugged. "I try," he replied, following after her.

"So, Elliot," she said once they were both back on the ground. "I never asked you this. What brings you to New York?"

"Well," he said, watching a little kid run across the platform. "Well, I got in a little…trouble…back where we were stationed. So instead of kicking me out of the Marines, the Sergeant told me to take a break. To go back home. Visit my family, you know?" He stopped and snorted. "Yeah right. Like I'd go visit my family. That's why I came _here. _To New York. My family doesn't even know I'm home right now."

"But," Olivia interrupted, "Don't you miss them?"

Elliot laughed, although Olivia knew it was meant to be more of a sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, right. Like I miss _my _family. Truthfully, I wouldn't mind if I never saw them again. Last time I heard from them, which was last year I think, my mom told me that my brother had moved out. So now, there's really no point at all whether I go back or not."

Olivia looked at Elliot and she was almost positive that she could see a little bit of sadness in his blue eyes.

Elliot realized she was looking at him and decided to change the subject. "Enough about me, though. What about you?" he asked.

Olivia shrugged, not really sure if she should tell him. After a minute, she decided she really didn't care. "Ran away," she stated truthfully.

Elliot's eyebrows raised. "You ran away?" he asked incredibly.

Olivia nodded. "Yep. Not that my mom would care though. She probably hasn't even noticed yet."

"And how old are you?" Elliot asked her.

"Eighteen," she replied.

Elliot nodded skeptically. "Wow."

Olivia frowned. "Wow what?"

Elliot shrugged. "I don't know. I just think its amazing that you'd be able to run away at age eighteen and take care of yourself. I wasn't completely on my own when left for the marines. I had all my marine buddies. But I have a feeling that you don't have anyone."

Olivia thought over what he had just said. He was right. She didn't have anyone. She was completely on her own! She needed to find an apartment, or a hotel to live in. Until she got a job, she had almost no money. Sure, she had brought some from her previous job, but it was only enough to live off of for a few weeks at the most.

Elliot noticed the worry in Olivia's eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Olivia snapped out of her thinking, shaking her head. "Nothing." She looked at her watch. "Um, I'm really sorry. I have to go. It was really nice meeting you, though," she said to Elliot, grabbing his hand and shaking it before turning away.

Elliot wasn't sure what to say as he watched the beautiful girl he had just met hurry away. They were just having a conversation and now, she's running away. "Um, maybe I'll see you 'round," he yelled, hoping she would hear him over all the people on the train platform.

She turned around, giving him a small smile. "Maybe," she responded. Then, she was gone.

Elliot stood there, amongst the bustling people, hurrying around him, wondering what had just happened to him. Just an hour ago, he was sitting in a train, talking to the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. And now, she was gone. Just like that.

Elliot mentally shook his head. What did he expect? For her to ask him to give her a tour of New York? Yeah right. But in his mind, he wished she did. It meant more time with her.

He frowned. Why was he thinking this? He had _just met her._ Besides, he knew that she probably didn't think of him what he thought of her. Probably.

Elliot was pulled out of his thinking from the whistle of a train. He rubbed his face. He was tired. That was probably why he was thinking these things. He needed sleep.

He gripped his suitcase and started up the stairs of the platform, opposite of the ones Olivia had went up. And until he got to his hotel room, the only think on his mind…was Olivia.

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><p>It took Olivia about forty-five minutes to find a good hotel to stay in that didn't leave her broke after just one night. After about ten minutes of negotiating with the manager to stay there without reservations, he finally gave up, letting her stay as long as she could pay. She thanked him as he gave her the room key.<p>

After reaching the seventh floor of the hotel, and finding her room, she opened the hotel room door and put her bag on the sofa inside.

After going into the bathroom and unpacking everything, she went into her bedroom. Sitting down on the bed, she took in all of her surroundings. A flat screen TV was facing her bed in the corner, and to the right of that was a giant window, covered by blinds. Olivia cocked an eyebrow , wondering how good the view was.

She stood up and made her way to the window. After pulling away the blinds, she gasped. Right outside her window…was Times Square. A _perfect _view of it. She could see all of Times Square, and all the people walking around it. The billboards, the giant skyscrapers, and all the lights. How did she not notice this as she was coming into the hotel?

Then, Olivia realized something. How the _hell _was this hotel room even affordable? The view was like nothing else, and yet, she could still pay for everything. She even had some money leftover that she could use for room service!

She shook it off. Maybe the hotel manager was giving her a break. Who knows? She decided she wouldn't worry about it now. And besides, she had other things to worry about. Like getting a job, or making sure her mom wasn't coming after her.

She turned around and fell back onto the bed, turning on the TV. She didn't realize how complicated living alone was going to be. She hadn't even thought of it when she left. She just wanted out of that house. There was no one to talk to. No one to listen to. She was officially alone.

She didn't know anyone either. She felt like a loner in New York City. There were two people she had actually met and talked to. There was Joe, the man who worked on the train, who kept her company some of the way here. He was the first person to acknowledge her, to actually listen to her. Talking to him was easy, because he didn't try to interrupt her. He just listened. It was like he actually understood her pain.

And then…there was Elliot. _Elliot. _She smiled when she thought of him. The gorgeous Marine whom she had _also _met on the train. His beautiful blue eyes, his adorable smile, his funny attitude. He was hilarious, and so much fun to talk to. His personality was like no other. Cute, cocky, _adorable!_

Olivia didn't think she had ever met anyone like him. He was perfect. And he _understood_ her. He wasn't just listening and nodding his head to look like he was interested in what she was saying to him. Because he really _was. _His father had hurt him, her mother had hurt her. It was almost like they were…_made _for each other.

Olivia shook her head. What was she thinking? She had only talked to this boy once and she was already thinking that they were made for each other! She didn't even know him that well. All she knew was his name and his background. About his family, his parents, his abuse. And besides, he never showed any indication that _he_ liked _her_.

She thought about what her mother had said the day before. _"You're a no-good ugly slut. No boy will ever fall in love with you." _And Olivia believed this.

She sat up and looked at the mirror opposite of her bed, hanging on the wall. Her reflection stared back at her. Her mom was right. No boy would ever fall in love with _this. _She wasn't pretty. She never would be. How could she even _think _Elliot had had feelings for her, just like she had for him?

She groaned. This was stupid. She wasn't going to see Elliot again anyway. There are thousands of people in New York. The probability of seeing Elliot again was one in a million. So why was she still even thinking about him?

Olivia sighed and laid back down. She looked at her watch. It was only 2:30 in the afternoon, but Olivia didn't care. She got underneath the soft, fluffy hotel comforter, closed her eyes, and before she knew it, she was asleep.

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><p>The next few days flew by pretty fast for Olivia. On the second day of being in New York, she applied for a job working at a local bar. And that same day, she was called back, saying that she would be perfect for it. She would be working every night that week from seven P.M. until twelve A.M. but Olivia didn't care. It was a way to make money, and money was what she needed.<p>

Her first day on the job was more fun than she had imagined. They made her bartend, and although she had never bartended before, she knew perfectly well how to make almost _any _kind of drink. She had had some practice, seeing her mom make her cocktails when she was younger and then making them for her mom when her mom was too lazy to get up.

And for being the newbie, she was almost as good at bartending as the older bartenders. The staff were the nicest people she had ever met. There was not one person on the first day she worked that said _anything _mean or rude to her. They had actually helped her around the bar, showing her the rooms and how to make certain drinks. And they showed her many, many tips. Her favorite? How to get some extra tip money, which she desperately needed. All she needed to do was give her hips an extra swing to 'em when she was walking, or deliver a drink to a guy with an extra wink. And on the first day, she got about fifty dollars in tips.

There was one girl that Olivia clung to the most on the first day of her new job. Her name was Rachel. She was two years older than Olivia, and had been working at the bar since she was seventeen. She was possibly one of the nicest girls Olivia had ever met. And the prettiest, too. She had dark brunette hair that traveled all the way down her back until it hit her hips. She always wore it down. She had told Olivia that guys noticed her more often when her hair was down. Her eyes were a dark brown, just like Olivia's. She was about 5'6, exactly an inch shorter than Olivia.

When they met each other, they clicked. Olivia knew she had finally found a true friend that she would _actually _talk to more than once. And Rachel felt the same way. After a couple weeks, they became inseparable. Rachel was like a big sister Olivia never had. They told each other everything. Olivia had even told her about her past, and about running away. But Rachel didn't look at her any different than how she had before. Olivia was her friend, whether she was a runaway or not.

Olivia wasn't the only one with a difficult past, however. Rachel also had her secrets to tell. When she was seven, both of her parents died in a drunk driving accident. Afterwards her older brother took care of her. But about two years later, her brother was forced to join the Marines. So instead of going to a foster home, she ran away. The manager of the bar, Christy McLaughlin, found her trying to collect money off the New York streets and took her into her care. Rachel had been living with Christy ever since.

When Rachel told Christine about her brother joining the marines, she wondered if, by some small chance, her brother knew Elliot. But she decided she wouldn't ask. She hadn't told any of her friends at the bar about Elliot, and she didn't plan to anytime soon. She decided she would keep him a secret for now. Besides, she hadn't seen him in about two weeks, so maybe they _weren't meant to be. _

**A/N: Didn't really like how i ended this chapter. But don't worry, there's still way more to come. Thanks for reviewing!**

**-lawandorderSVUismylife-**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Alright, here's chapter 4. i hope you guys like it!**

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><p><em><strong>*ladybugsmomma*<strong>_

_Yet another awesome chapter! I love how Olivia's first week went so smooth, but I have this sneaking suspicion that it isn't always going to be that way. I am glad she made a friend as well! I can't wait to see what happens next!_

**Thank you! :) maybe you're sneaking suspicion is right..maybe it isn't. you'll just have to read to find out! :)**

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><p><em><strong>*LiviotStabensler*<strong>_

_These first days went pretty smooth for her I got a GOOD feeling its not gonna stay that way! Am I right...AM I RIGHT!_

****Are you right? ARE YOU RIGHT? haha you'll just have to read to find out! :)****

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><p><em><em><strong>*11Alexandria7*<strong>__

_I absolutely love this! Haven't read a story that has had me so excited in awhile :)_  
><em>Please update soon!<em>

****Thank you for loving it! haha and i'm happy that it's making you excited. maybe this chapter will help a little with the excitement...****

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 4 <strong>_

It had been exactly one month since Olivia had moved to New York, which also meant that it had been exactly one month since she met Elliot. During the last few weeks, every morning she would wake up, hoping that today would be the day that she would see him again, and every night, she went to bed disappointed. And whenever she was out in public, she would keep her eyes wide open for him, but she never did see him. After a few weeks, she decided it just wasn't worth it. She looked for him, but she highly doubted he looked for her, so what was the point? There wasn't one, she decided. And that was that.

Olivia was lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She was trying to figure out her plans for the day. Work started two hours early today because the bar was being rented out for a party. And the party started at six, which meant Olivia had to be at work an hour before. So that took up her night. But she wanted to do something fun before that. She was in New York, for heaven's sake!

She reached for her phone and dialed Rachel's number. On the third ring, she picked up.

"_Hello?"_

Olivia smiled. Rachel's voice was always so chipper. It could seriously brighten anyone's day. "Hey Rach."

"_Olivia! Hey! What's up?" Rachel asked excitedly. _

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to, oh I don't know, do something today," Olivia asked.

_Rachel nodded. "Like what?"_

Well," Olivia started, "we're in New York, so I don't know….maybe take a walk, go through Times Square, anything!"

_Rachel thought for a moment. "Yeah, actually that sounds great. Believe it or not, but I'm like, really, really bored right now."_

Olivia laughed. "Well, at least you're not stuck in some small hotel room," she replied.

"_Well, yeah, but my apartment isn't much bigger than that hotel room," Rachel replied. "Unless you make millions of dollars every day, odds are, if you live in New York, your apartment isn't going to be very big."_

Olivia pondered her statement. "Yeah, I guess that's true. Anyway, you wanna meet at the park, and we can decided from there?"

_Rachel nodded. "Yeah, sure! Sounds great. I'll see ya in like, fifteen minutes."_

"Alright. Bye Rach."

"_Bye Liv." _

As soon as Olivia hung up, she ran to her closet, trying to find an outfit to wear. After a few minutes, she decided on short jean shorts and a baggy shirt, one that hung over her shoulders. She thought it was nice enough for a little 'stroll' through New York.

Afterwards, she went to the bathroom and put on her makeup. Then, she grabbed her money and ran out the door.

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><p>Olivia was sitting on a bench in Central Park, waiting for Rachel to show up. It had been about twenty minutes since she had gotten there, so she had been waiting for a while. But instead of calling her, or trying to find her, Olivia just sat there, taking in the ambiance of the park.<p>

One of the things she observed was the number of people there, which, surprisingly, was very little. She saw a family of five slowly making their way through the park. The mom and dad were walking together, the dad's arm around the mom. The three kids were running ahead, smiling and laughing at each other. Olivia smiled. She loved seeing happy families. Even though she never had one, she was glad that other children didn't have to go through what she had to.

A little girl from the family Olivia saw wondered over to her. She sat down on the same bench as Olivia.

Olivia smiled. "Hello there," she said to the little girl, who looked about four or five.

The little girl looked at Olivia and returned a smile. "Hi."

"What's your name?" Olivia asked nicely.

"I'm Monica. I'm five." She held up five fingers. "What's yours?"

Olivia smiled. This kid was so _cute! _"My name's Olivia," she replied.

Monica thought for a moment. "How old are you, Livia?"

"I'm eighteen," Olivia responded.

Monica's eyes widened. "Wow, you're so old!"

Olivia chuckled. "Yep. I guess so."

"So," Monica started again, swinging her legs," what are you doing in the park?"

Olivia sighed, sitting back. "Well, I was _supposed _to meet my friend here, but she hadn't shown up yet."

Monica frowned. "Why not?"

"I'm not sure," Olivia replied, shrugging. "She's probably just running late."

Monica nodded, then heard her name being called. "Well, mommy's calling me. I should really get going," she said to Olivia, climbing off the bench. Then she smiled. "Maybe I'll see you later Livia."

Olivia chuckled. "Maybe you will."

Monica waved and ran off to her parents, who were looking at Olivia. Olivia waved back, and so did the parents. She smiled. The people in New York were _so _much nicer than the people back from where she was from.

All of a sudden, she felt someone's hands cover her eyes. "Guess who?" she heard someone sing-song.

Olivia laughed. She could tell whose voice that was from anywhere. "Hmm…I'm guessing…Rachel?"

Rachel smiled and climbed over the bench, sitting next to her friend. "Yep. Sorry I was late. I was getting us some food." She reached inside the bag that she was holding and brought out two bagels. "Chocolate chip. You're favorite."

Olivia chuckled. "You know me too well. And thanks." Olivia reached for the bagel, but stopped mid-air. "Wait a sec."

Rachel stopped chewing. "What?" she asked through a full mouth.

Olivia frowned. "Didn't you…_forget _something?"

Rachel thought for a moment, pondering over what Olivia said. Then, her eyes widened, and her mouth made an "O" form. She reached inside the bag and brought out two small tubs full of cream cheese.

Olivia smiled and grabbed one. After the cream cheese was on the bagel, she took a bite. "Now _that's _what I'm talking about," she said, wiping cream cheese off of her mouth.

Rachel smiled and took another bite. "Sorry," she said, spitting food on Olivia. "Didn't know that Miss Olivia liked her cream cheese so much."

Olivia scooted back. Um..._ew!"_ she said, laughing. "Didn't your mom ever teach you to never talk with food in your mouth? And for the record…cream cheese is my best friend."

Rachel frowned. "Wow. Thanks Liv. Didn't know that you loved cream cheese more than you loved me," she said, feigning hurt.

Olivia laughed. "I'm sorry. I lied. I love you more."

Rachel nodded. "Now _that's _more like it."

The two girls shared a laugh before standing up and starting on their walk through Central Park.

"So," Rachel started. "You wanted to go on this walk. Any reason why?"

Olivia shrugged. "Nah, not really. I just wanted to get out of my hotel room."

Rachel nodded. "Anything you wanna talk about?"

Olivia thought for a moment. Well, she actually had _a lot _of things to talk about. She could tell Rachel about the little girl who decided to talk to her while she was waiting. She could tell her about Joe, the man she met on the train on her way here to New York. She could tell her about hoe she had no clue how she was able to afford the hotel room she was staying in. Or she could tell her about Elliot. _Elliot. _

Damn! He had just gotten out of her mind and now he was back in! Why? She had forgotten about him. She had given up hope of ever seeing him again. She didn't care about him anymore. Okay, well that was a lie. Truth is, she thought of him every night. But she couldn't tell Rachel about him, could she? No. That would be weird. And besides, Rachel wouldn't understand. Would she?

"Hey, Liv." Olivia snapped out of her thinking when she heard Rachel's voice. "You wanna tell me what you're thinking about?"

Olivia shook her head. But then, after she really thought about it, she knew she should tell Rachel. After all, Rachel _was _her best friend. And they told each other _everything. _

Rachel nudged her. "Is that a 'no', then?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, I'll tell you. But you have to _promise _that you'll keep it a secret."

Rachel crossed her heart with her fingers. "Cross my heart. I promise I won't tell _anyone."_

Olivia laughed. "Okay. Well, let's see. Where should I begin…"

"Well," Rachel said, shrugging, "I heard the beginning is always a fine place to start." She smirked.

Olivia playfully hit her in the arm. "Shut up. Okay, I'll start from the beginning."

Rachel nodded and Olivia began. "Well, you already know why I ran away and everything, right?"

Rachel nodded again. "Yep."

"Okay, so I took the midnight train to New York," Olivia started up again. "And on the train, I met this boy-"

"You met a guy?" Rachel interrupted, eyes wide.

"Hey!" Olivia scowled. "Let me finish!"

Rachel chuckled. "Alright, I'm sorry. Go on."

Olivia shook her head. "_Anyway, _what I was saying before was I met this boy. He was a year older than me, and we talked the whole entire way here. He…well, he…it felt like he understood me when I talked to him. It like we connected, then and there."

"Have you seen him yet? Ever since you've got here?" Rachel asked.

Olivia shook her head. "No. But I kinda wish I have. I've thought about him every day since I've been here. Is that weird?"

Rachel thought for a moment. "Well…was he hot?"

Olivia nodded. "And he was a Marine."

Rachel's eyes widened again. "Olivia! The guy was hot, he was a Marine, and you guys _connected? _Liv, if that's not fate, then what is?"

Olivia laughed. "I don't know…but, it's just-"

"It's just what?" Rachel interrupted again. "C'mon, Liv. You gotta believe it's fate or something like that. I mean, you even said it yourself. You _connected!"_

Olivia shrugged, deciding not to say anything else.

After a few minutes, Rachel frowned. "Liv, why didn't you ever tell me about this?"

"I just never thought it was relevant," Olivia replied. "It's not like everyone had to know."

"Well, yeah. But I'm your best friend," Rachel responded.

Olivia chuckled. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry I never told you about the guy I met on the train. If you wanna walk away right now and never talk to me again, I completely understand."

Rachel snorted. "Yeah, right. Hey, you never told me this mystery man's name."

Olivia sighed. "Elliot. Elliot Stabler."

"Ooo, his name even _sounds_ like a sexy Marine's name," Rachel said, smirking.

Olivia chuckled. "Yeah, well odds are you won't be seeing him anytime soon."

"Olivia," Rachel started, "you're bound to see him again. This is _New York _for heaven's sake! People are _everywhere." _

Olivia nodded. "I hope so, Rachel. I really do."

It grew quiet for a few minutes. None of them knew what to say. Then, Olivia looked at her watch.

"We should probably get going soon," she said to Rachel. "Work starts in a few hours and I still need to shower and get ready and crap."

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I guess so." She smiled. "I guess our little 'walk in New York' didn't turn out as planned, eh?"

Olivia smirked. "Nope. That stupid bar party kinda ruined my plans for today." She shrugged. "But at least we'll get paid extra."

"Yeah, I guess so," Rachel agreed. "Anyway, I should go. I'll see ya tonight Liv."

Olivia nodded. "Yep."

"Oh, and don't worry," Rachel said as she was walking away, "I'll pray that your Marine runs into you."

Olivia snorted. "Ha. Ha."

Rachel laughed. "See ya!" she said, running to catch a cab. Olivia nodded and started on her own way back home.

* * *

><p>The bar was packed. Jammed pack. Whoever it was who was having the party, they must've invited <em>a lot <em>of people. Cars were lined up and down the street, the parking lot was more than full, and you could barely walk inside the resturaunt. Olivia was bartending, and she was more than happy to. Bartending meant staying behind the counter, not having to move around through the crowd.

From her spot behind the counter, she could see Rachel, who was the hostess tonight. Every few minutes, their eyes would meet from across the room and Olivia would give her a shit-eating grin. She knew that Rachel hated being the hostess, especially when the crowds were this big. She knew that she would rather be working behind the bar with Olivia. But drastic times call for drastic measures, right?

People after people kept filing into the bar. Soon, no one was asking for tables anymore. They just walked in and sat down wherever they wanted. Olivia watched as Rachel got pissed.

"Hey," Rachel said, trying to stop them. "You're supposed to be seated by a _hostess!" _she yelled, pointing at the 'hostess will seat you' sign standing by the door. Four more people walked in, completely ignoring her, and went and sat down at the bar.

Rachel shook her head, throwing her pen and menus that she was holding on the podium. She had had enough. Olivia watched as she made her way over to the bar.

"These people are bugging the shit outa me," Rachel said, obviously pissed.

Olivia laughed. "No offense, but why do we even _have_ a hostess? This is a _bar. _Aren't people aloud to just walk in and sit down?"

Rachel nodded. "The people who are having the party here asked for a hostess. I'm not sure why, though. Obviously they didn't need one!"

Olivia laughed again. "Here, help me with the bartending. There are too much people here for me to serve."

"You're doing it alone tonight?" Rachel asked, shocked.

Olivia nodded. "Mhmm. Christy thought I could handle it alone. But she obviously didn't know that this many people were gonna be here." She handed a glass to Rachel, pointing to a man sitting at the end of the bar. "He wants a dirty vodka martini. Snap snap little Rach."

Rachel smirked. "Alright Miss Benson," she joked. She made the man his drink, then started on the dozens of other people waiting in line for a drink.

After about an hour, both girls were worn out. The people were getting more and more drunk, the temperature in the bar was getting hotter, and no one had left yet. Rachel took off her black hostess shirt, leaving only a tight black tank top on. She looked at Olivia, who was wearing something similar, but covered much less of her body.

Christy had different uniforms that she wanted the workers to wear. For example, the hostesses wore long black pants, with a black shirt. The waiters and waitresses had to wear a white shirt with any kind of black bottoms. The bartenders, however, had to wear tank tops and short shorts. Their hair had to be down and leather boots were optional. Olivia never understood why the bartending uniforms were like that. Rachel had once said that the bartenders were supposed to look the sexiest out of all the workers, which is why they had to wear the clothes. It wasn't like Olivia cared, but in the first week or so of working for the bar, she found it uncomfortable. Every night after work, she would always get stares from men while she was walking home. The bar was only a couple blocks from her hotel, so she hated taking taxies. But sometimes, when a man gave her a look that made her uncomfortable while she was walking home, or if a man tried to follow her, she immediately hailed a taxi. She didn't want to end up like her mother. Olivia decided that was her worst fear in life.

Olivia pulled on her tank top, pulling it up a little. She hated feeling exposed. And she felt _really_ exposed when she was wearing this outfit. A man called her, asking for another shot of tequila. She nodded and started writing something down on a piece of paper, when the pen fell out of her hands and onto the floor. She sighed and bent down, picking it up. A man, drunk off his ass, realized her action and leaned over the bar, smacking her butt. She immediately stood up, glaring at the man who was laughing at the little act he pulled, his friends laughing with him. She wanted to rip his face off, right then and there, and she would've if Rachel hadn't put a hand on her shoulder.

"Ignore them," she said. "They're pricks."

Olivia nodded and turned her back. After getting the man his shot of tequila, the drunk man who had smacked her called her over to them. She sighed and caught Rachel staring at her, watching her movements. Even though they weren't related, Olivia had become like a sister to Rachel. They had each other's back, no matter what. And when the man smacked Olivia, Rachel wanted to rip his face off as much as Olivia did. But she didn't want to lose her job, so instead, she did the best she could do, which was tell Olivia to ignore the damn bastards. And when the man called Olivia over to him and his friends, it took everything in Rachel not to follow Olivia over there. To protect her.

Olivia walked towards the man and his group of friends, who were laughing and yelling their heads off. "Is there anything I can get you guys?" she asked, a fake smile playing on her lips.

The men stopped laughing and the once who smacked her stared Olivia down, making her feel incredibly uncomfortable. "You're…reel…really HOT," he said, slurring his words. All his friends started laughing again, and Olivia rolled her eyes. She turned around to walk away, but he grabbed her, pulling her down to his face. Before she could do anything, his lips crashed down on hers. Her eyes widened and she yanked her face away from his, slapping him so hard, you could see her handprint on his cheek.

Rachel saw the act and immediately called security, telling them what happened. The man, along with his four or five friends, were carried out of the bar. The last thing Olivia saw was the man yelling the word 'bitch' towards her.

Rachel ran to Olivia. "Oh my god, are you okay?" she asked, checking Olivia over.

Olivia nodded while viscously wiping her mouth. "That was the most disgusting thing that's ever happened to me," she stated. Then she smiled. "He was not a good kisser at _all_."

Rachel's face turned into relief, knowing that Olivia found it a little humorous. "Well, what do you expect? He was drunk off his _ass_!"

"And now he's gone, thank god," Olivia replied. She looked around the bar. It seemed as if no one saw the act happen, which she was grateful of. She didn't want it to look like she had caused a big scene.

A few hours later, everything had died down. A lot of people had left, so it wasn't as busy. Bartending was easier now, and Rachel and Olivia actually started _enjoying _it.

By the time the bar closed, everyone was gone. Olivia and Rachel sighed in relief. After saying good-bye to the other workers, they both made their way out the door.

"Well, tonight couldn't have been crazier," Olivia stated, a smile playing on her lips.

Rachel nodded in agreement. "It was…fun?"

Olivia laughed. "I wouldn't call it _fun. _It was quite a show, though."

Rachel smirked. "You know what was a show? When the guy-"

"Don't even continue that statement," Olivia irrupted, smiling. "That was _so _not funny."

"Alright, but it was definitely the highlight of my night," Rachel replied, laughing.

A taxi pulled up and Rachel looked at Olivia. "You wanna share a taxi? There's plenty of room."

Olivia shook her head. "Nah, I'm good. I think I'm gonna walk home. I need some fresh air."

Rachel scowled. "But it's _midnight_!"

"Don't care," Olivia said, shrugging. "But thanks anyway, Rach."

Rachel nodded, climbing into the cab. "I'll call ya tomorrow. We're off work, so we can hang out."

"Sounds good," Olivia replied.

"See ya, Liv," Rachel said as she shut the door. Olivia waved good-bye as the cab drove away. Then, she turned around and started her way back home. Right as she turned around, however, someone grabbed her, dragging her into a nearby alley.

It was all so sudden that Olivia froze at first. Then, she realized what was happening, and her instincts started to kick in. She kicked and bit and elbowed, but the person never let her go. He threw her onto the ground, and she turned around, facing her attacker. When she saw his face, she gasped.

The attacker smiled. A vicious, evil smile. "Remember me, honey?"

And Olivia did. It was the man in the bar. The drunk one. The one who smacked her, and who kissed her.

Her eyes grew wide. "W-what are you gonna do?" she asked, fear written in her voice.

The man laughed, and Olivia had never heard anything more bitter. "Since you didn't wanna _participate _inside the bar, you're gonna be _forced _to participate right now." He grabbed her and pulled her into a standing position, slamming her against the wall. She groaned as her back hit the hard surface.

"This will teach you to do what a man says to do, bitch," he said, pulling down her tank top and revealing her lace bra.

She gasped, attempting to kick him again. "Help!" she cried. "Help!"

The man pulled out a knife and held it up to her throat. "Say another word, and you'll be dead." He pulled her shorts down and cupped her ass. "You feel good, bitch," he stated. "I know you're enjoying this."

Olivia gagged. She wanted to throw up. How could he possibly think she was _enjoying _this? She couldn't let this happen. She just couldn't. She saw how it ruined her mom's life. She didn't want to turn into Serena. That was one of her greatest fears in life.

Olivia tried one more time to push him away, but he shoved her against the wall, pinning her arms above her. "Don't worry, bitch. This will feel good."

She whimpered, knowing that this was really going to happen to her. She quit struggling and gave up.

The man laughed. "See? I knew you'd start to like it."

Right as he pulled his pants down, she shut her eyes. She didn't wanna see anything. She couldn't.

Slowly, she felt him trying to unhook the back of the bra when suddenly, she heard a sudden choking noise. Then, she felt the man fall to the ground. Someone had stopped the man from raping her!

She debated on whether or not to open her eyes. For all she knew, another attacker could be standing in front of her. After a few seconds, she heard a voice.

"Olivia?"

Olivia froze. She knew that voice from anywhere. That was the voice that she had thought of, day and night, ever since she arrived in New York. That sweet, sexy, angelic voice.

She slowly opened her eyes, taking in the person standing right in front if her. The person that just saved her from being raped. The person that she had only met once, but connected with right away.

Her mouth slowly formed a small smile.

"Elliot."

**A/N: sorry to leave you guys like this. i'll update as soon as possible. I promise! :) remember, reviews make my day! **

**-lawandorderSVUismylife-**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's chapter five of Don't Stop Believing! It's short, but has plenty reason to it. Thanks for sticking with me!**

**Sorry, no shouts-outs for this chapter. But maybe next chapter! :)**

**disclaimer: I don't own SVU or any of it's characters.**

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><p><strong>C<strong>**hapter 5**

Elliot bent down and picked up Olivia's crumpled shirt off the floor. "God, Olivia are you okay?"

Olivia nodded slowly, not sure what to say. The sexy marine that she had met on the train only a month ago was standing right in front of her, asking if she was okay. He had just saved her from being raped. And she had thought that she would never see him again. What a small world.

Elliot handed her the shirt and looked at the ground, noticing her shorts were still by her ankles. When she realized what he was looking at, her cheeks grew bright red. She hadn't even _realized_ that they were still by her feet since the guy had pulled them down. Her mind had been stuck on Elliot.

She quickly reached down and pulled up her shorts, buttoning them up and then zipping them. She was completely ignoring the fact that Elliot had seen her practically naked. But truthfully, she didn't care. He had just saved her from being _raped, _and that's all she cared about right now.

Olivia looked back up at Elliot, whose eyes immediately locked onto hers. "Th-thanks," she whispered.

Elliot nodded and Olivia saw the sympathy flash in Elliot's eyes. She couldn't take it anymore. This was awkward. This was weird. They should be talking. Not just staring at each other.

Olivia carefully put her shirt back on and walked around him. "I…I should be going," she stated, before turning around.

Elliot caught her wrist as she was walking away. "Wait, Liv."

Olivia smiled, even though her back was turned to Elliot. He had just called her Liv. She turned around, facing him again. "Yes?"

"I…well, I…" Elliot stuttered. "Do you maybe wanna….go get a drink?"

Olivia pondered his question. It was past midnight, and she was tired. But the guy who she had been dreaming of every night just asked her get a drink. Maybe he wanted to get closer to her. _Oh god, I hope so._

"Um…I guess so," she said slowly. "But-"

"But what?" Elliot asked, a little too quickly.

"But…you're gonna have to pay," Olivia joked, "Cause I'm all out of cash."

Elliot chuckled, thankful that she was trying to lighten up the situation at hand. "Will do," he said to her.

Olivia nodded, and they started out of the alley, and away to find an open bar.

* * *

><p>"It's been forever since I've seen you," Elliot joked, slowly sipping his beer.<p>

"Forever as in a _month_?" Olivia replied.

Elliot nodded, chuckling. "Yes. A month."

After Elliot helped Olivia out of the ally, and after they found a small bar that was open twenty four hours, they got a table and had been talking ever since. They had already discussed the ally incident. Olivia told Elliot everything, from leaving the bar until he had found her in the alley. The words 'thank you' were repeated by her to him over and over again while they were sitting in their booth. After a little bit, Elliot decided to bring up the train ride to New York.

"What have you been doing to keep busy this month?" Olivia asked, sipping the beer she was holding in her hand.

Elliot shrugged. "Truthfully…nothing. I've been enjoying my time off of the Marine's. I'm supposed to be called back there in the next few months." Olivia watched as his eyes turned a darker color than their sky-blue. "I hate war. I'd do anything to get out of the Marine's now."

Olivia watched as he chugged the remainder of his beer. After he set it down on the table, he realized she was still watching her. He wanted to change the subject. "So, what have you been doing?"

She told him about her job at the bar, and about Rachel. How Rachel was like a sister, and how her job paid well. But the only thing she wanted to tell him was about how much she'd been thinking about him. Every night, and every day. Waking up…and going to sleep. Morning…and evening. He was on her mind all the time. But she knew if she told him, he would just get creeped out. For all she knew, this little get together was for catching up. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Liv?" Olivia was pulled out of her thinking by his voice. "You okay?"

Olivia looked up at him. His eyes were back to normal color, and they were staring right at hers.

She slowly nodded. "Mhmm," she answered. "Just thinking about the alley incident." Olivia hated lying, but she wouldn't tell him the truth. It was too embarrassing. Obviously he didn't have feelings for her like she did for him.

Just then, a waitress came by their table. "You guys want anything else?"

Elliot looked at Olivia, who looked at the waitress and nodded. "Another Bud Light, please. Thank you."

The waitress nodded, writing her order down on a piece of paper she was holding. Then she looked at Elliot. "And for you?"

"Um…same as her please," he stated, never shifting his eyes away from Olivia.

The waitress nodded and turned around, walking away. Elliot and Olivia grew silent. After a couple minutes, Olivia spoke, trying to lighten the mood.

Smiling, she asked, "So, Elliot. You're nineteen, and I'm eighteen. How are we able to buy alcohol here?"

Elliot shrugged and leaned back, thankful that she had started the conversation up again. "Don't know. But truthfully, who cares?" he asked, smiling.

Olivia laughed as the waitress brought them their drinks. "Not me," she said, gripping her beer and bringing it up to her mouth.

Elliot took his too, raising it towards her. "Me neither." And after a couple seconds, he added the word "cheers."

Olivia smirked, holding her beer up to his. "Cheers," she returned.

Their glasses clinked together and they both took a sip.

* * *

><p>Three hours later, both Elliot and Olivia walked out of the bar. They both had a wonderful time, laughing and playfully flirting.<p>

"So," Elliot said as soon an they walked out the door. "I hope you had a nice time tonight."

Olivia frowned. "Oh yeah. Getting molested was awesome," she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Elliot smirked. "Alright smartass. You know, I'm really surprised your handling what happened this well."

Olivia shrugged. "I was born tough," she said, smiling. "But seriously, Elliot. If you hadn't come…I don't know what would've happened."

Elliot nodded. After a few moments, he added, "I'm so glad I found you."

"Found me?" Olivia asked, confused. Did he mean 'found her' as in he had been looking for her? Just like she had been looking for him?

Elliot nodded. "Yeah. If I hadn't been walking down the street, passing that alley, I would have never…_saved _you."

Olivia's heart sank a little bit at his words. _'So he _hadn't_ been looking for me after all.' _

Elliot noticed how Olivia's attitude came down a bit after he said that. "Is everything okay, Liv?" he asked sincerely.

Olivia looked at him and nodded quickly. "Yeah. Yeah, everything's fine. I'm just…thinking."

Elliot cocked an eyebrow, but decided not to ask. "Alright." Just as he spoke, a cab pulled up.

Olivia frowned. "Is that for you?"

Elliot shook his head. "Nope. It's for you."

"But, I never called a cab," Olivia responded, surprised.

"I know." Elliot smiled. "But I did."

Olivia cocked her head to the side. "Wait. _You_ called a cab for _me_?"

Elliot nodded. "Yeah. I'm not letting you walk home after what happened tonight. It…_scared _me."

Olivia smiled. "Aw. Thanks, El."

Elliot raised his eyebrow. "El?"

"Yeah," Olivia said, a blush quickly appearing on her cheeks. "You get to call me 'Liv'. I think it's only fair if you get a pet name too."

Elliot laughed. "Alright, _Liv. _El it is then." He thought about it for a moment. "Actually, I kinda like it. It shows a soft side of me."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Alright, now don't get all poetic on me," she said, smirking. "And I didn't know Elliot Stabler had a _soft_ side."

Elliot nodded, attempting to stay completely serious. "Oh yeah. Of course he does. But it only comes out when he's sad or talking to someone he likes."

Olivia raised her eyebrow. "Someone he _likes_, huh?"

Elliot blushed. "Well, I was kinda hoping that…this wouldn't be the last time I saw you."

"What do you mean?" Olivia asked quickly. Was he asking her what she _thought_ he was asking her?

"Well," Elliot started. "I had fun tonight, and I think we should do it again." He noticed how surprised Olivia's face had gotten. "But, I mean, only if you want to. We don't have to, but…"

Olivia smiled. He _was _asking her what she thought he was going to ask her_._ "Calm down, El. I understand. And I'd like that," she answered. She was trying to keep her excitement at bay just as well as he was.

Elliot sighed in relief. "Great. But, um, how about next time, we go somewhere a little more…"

"Formal?" Olivia finished his sentence for him.

Elliot nodded. "Yeah. Formal."

Olivia smiled. "Sure. I'd like that."

Just then, the taxi cab honked twice and Elliot rolled his eyes. "I think he wants to get a move on," he said, obviously annoyed.

Olivia nodded as Elliot opened the taxi door for her. She climbed inside and Elliot shut the door. Before she drove away, she rolled down the window and looked at Elliot. "Thank you, El," she said quietly.

Elliot frowned. "For what?"

Olivia shrugged. "For saving me. For taking me out." And after a few seconds, she added, "For being a friend."

Elliot smiled, understanding what she meant. "Anytime, Liv. Anytime."

Olivia smiled, then she remembered something. "Oh. I almost forgot." She pulled out a blank piece of paper and scribbled something down on it. After she folded it and handed it to Elliot, the taxi driver drove away.

Elliot watched as the cab turned the corner, then he looked at the piece of crumpled in his hand. He frowned and unfolded it. And after he read it, a smile was sketched on his face.

_El, I had a great time. Call me. 555-0199 _

_-Liv_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Have you guys ever noticed that in SVU, they only use one phone number for everything? And it's always 555-0199. So that's why i used it for Liv's phone number. Haha anyway...thanks for reading! And reviewing! I'm so happy with the response this story is getting, so i wanted to thank all of you. :) You know you guys always make my day. **

**-lawandorderSVUismylife-**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: first, let me tell you guys that i am incredibly sorry for not updating quickly. I'm just starting high school and it makes me incredibly busy! :P Second, i want to thank you all for sticking with me. my updates may come a little bit slowler now that summer's coming to an end, but no worries. i'll get this story finished sooner or later. :) now, on with the story!**

**disclaimer: I don't own SVU or any of it's characters. Unless, of course, Dick Wolf wants to be generous and maybe...possibly...give them to me? **

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 6<strong>_

"Rachel! Rachel! Guess. Freaking. What!"

Olivia ran into Rachel's apartment, not caring how late, or rather early, it was. She had asked the taxi driver to drive to Rachel's apartment instead of her own hotel. She was too excited to sleep.

Rachel slowly made her way out of her bedroom. Her hair was completely messed up from sleeping and she had her pajamas on. She looked at the clock hanging on her kitchen wall and scowled at Olivia. "Olivia, what the fuck? It's like, three in the morning!"

Olivia slammed the door and ran over to Rachel, grabbing her shoulders and shaking them. "Guess who I saw today after work?"

Rachel peeled Olivia's arms off of her and fell down on her sofa. "Liv, it's three A.M. You just ran into my apartment, yelled for me, and probably woke my neighbors just to tell me who you saw after _work_ today?"

Olivia nodded, her excitement growing.

Rachel saw the look in Olivia's eyes and couldn't help but smile. "Alright, fine. Who'd you see after work?"

"Elliot!" Olivia squealed.

Rachel's eyes grew wide. "You mean _the _Elliot. The Elliot you met on the train?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah! And guess what? He took me to get a drink!"

Rachel smiled. "Liv, that's so great! How'd you see him again?"

Rachel watched as her friend's facial features died down. Olivia's smile faded and she slowly sat down by Rachel. "He saved me."

Rachel frowned. "What?"

"He _saved _me," Olivia repeated. When she realized her friend wouldn't understand, she started explaining. "After you drove away, the guy who kissed me in the bar grabbed me. He dragged me into an alley and pulled off my clothes. He was incredibly close to…to…you know."

Rachel's eyes widened in fright. "Oh my god, Olivia. Why didn't you call me?"

"Because," Olivia started again. "Because Elliot found me. He was walking by the alley and he saw me getting…molested. He knocked the guy out and saved me."

Rachel shook her head, astonished. "Wha…what happened to the guy?"

Olivia shrugged. "I'm not sure. We just left him there."

Rachel stood up. "Liv, you can't just keep this a secret. You need to tell the police. They can capture this guy. They can arrest him, put him in jail!" she exclaimed.

Olivia shook her head. "Forget it. He was drunk anyway. He didn't know what he was doing. It was the alcohol's fault."

Rachel sat down and put her hand on Olivia's shoulder. "Liv, was it was the alcohol's fault with your mom, too?"

Olivia thought for a minute, then shook her head. "Please. Please don't bring my mom into this."

Rachel nodded. "I'm sorry." She looked at the clock. "Liv, why don't you just spend the rest of the morning here. You can sleep on the couch."

Olivia nodded. "Thanks."

Rachel stood up and got a blanket out of the closet, handing it to Olivia. "Do you want pajamas?"

Olivia shook her head. "Nah, I'm fine."

Rachel nodded and turned around, before hearing Olivia's voice call her name "Hey Rachel?"

She turned around. "Yeah?"

"Do you mind if I watch T.V. for a little while?" Olivia asked her. "You know, just to get some things outa my mind?"

Rachel shook her head. "Nope. Not at all. Go ahead. I'll be in my room." After a few seconds, she smiled. "_Sleeping."_

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine. I won't wake you up anymore."

Rachel laughed. "Good." Then she turned around and walked into her room, leaving Olivia to herself.

* * *

><p>It was 8:30 when Olivia woke up. The sun was peeking through the curtains in Rachel's apartment, and from the position Olivia was lying in on the sofa, the sun hit her right in the eyes.<p>

She sat up, yawning and stretching. Then, she made her way to the kitchen to see what she could make or breakfast.

After finding everything she needed, she decided to make pancakes. She grabbed two eggs, the batter, some milk, and vegetable oil and started making them. Half an hour later, she was seated at the table, an entire plate of pancakes sitting in front of her.

A noise from behind her caught her attention. She turned around to find Rachel standing in her bedroom doorway, leaning against the frame. A humorous expression was written on her face.

Olivia frowned. "What?"

"Nothing," Rachel replied, shrugging. "I just find it funny how I wake up to my best friend randomly sitting down at a table with a giant pile of pancakes sitting in front of her."

Olivia nodded. "Yeah. Well, I was hungry."

Rachel smirked, then eyed the pancakes. Olivia rolled her eyes. After a minute, she sighed. "You want some?" she asked Rachel, gesturing towards the pancakes.

Rachel nodded quickly before running to the table and grabbing a pancake. After getting a plate and pouring syrup over her food, she ate the meal in less than a minute.

Olivia stared at her, wide-eyed. "Jeez, Rach. Slow down. The food's not gonna disappear."

Rachel only shrugged as she grabbed another pancake and placed it on her plate. But before she could take a bite, Olivia grabbed it off of her plate with her bare hands and shoved it into her mouth…syrup and all.

Rachel's mouth hung open as she watched her friend swallow the food. "Liv, what the fuck? That was my pancake!"

Olivia laughed, cleaning the syrup off of her hands. "So? I made it."

Rachel glared at Olivia, then smiled viciously. Olivia noticed and frowned. "Um, Rach? You're scaring me…"

Rachel stood up, never breaking eye contact with her friend. She walked to the pantry and pulled out a little package with the label "Powdered Sugar" on the front.

Once Olivia knew what Rachel was going to do, her eyes widened. "No! Rachel, I swear…"

Rachel smirked and slowly walked towards Olivia, who quickly stood up and held her empty plate in front of her face as protection.

"Rachel, please," she begged. "Don't! I'm sorry I ate your pancake!"

Rachel shook her head, the smirk never leaving her lips. "Sorry, Liv. It's too late for apologies now…" And before Olivia could say or do anything else, she opened the package and reached inside, picking up a handful of powdered sugar and winging it at Olivia.

Olivia froze as soon as the sugar hit her face. She closed her eyes, trying to keep a serious face. "Rachel," she hissed through her teeth, "You…are so…dead."

Olivia jumped up and grabbed the bag, dumping it on top of Rachel's head, then ran away behind the couch. She crouched down on her knees, keeping only her head in view. "Payback's a _bitch._"

Rachel started laughing, powdered sugar falling all over the floor. She picked the bag up again and ran towards Olivia, throwing the rest on her friend. "You can say that again!" she exclaimed.

Olivia couldn't contain her laughter. Pretty soon, both girls were rolling on the floor, laughing so hard that tears were rolling down their cheeks. And that's how they spent the whole rest of their morning.

* * *

><p>After they ate breakfast, and after they cleaned all of the powdered sugar off of themselves, Rachel and Olivia decided to go to Times Square. They called a cab and soon they were on they're way.<p>

"Alright," Rachel said as they were climbing out of the taxi. "Tell me more about this 'Elliot' guy."

Olivia paid the cab driver, then turned back to Rachel. "What do you wanna know?"

Rachel shrugged. "I don't know." She thought for a moment. "So...you told me he was hot…"

Olivia smirked, then started to chuckle. "You have no idea, Rachel."

Just then, Olivia saw an ice cream store. She grabbed Rachel's arm and started to pull her into that direction.

Rachel frowned. "Liv, what are you doing?" she asked, trying to loosen her friend's grip.

Olivia didn't say anything. She only pointed to the store.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Olivia, do you really want ice cream that badly?"

Olivia nodded. "Rach, it's ice cream. _Ice cream. _Who _doesn't_ want ice cream that badly?"

Rachel shook her head. "Your immaturity level? Yeah, it just rose a little."

"Shut up!" Olivia said, opening the door to the store. "Now, go find us a seat while I order everything on the menu." She pushed her friend over towards an empty booth and quickly scurried into line.

Rachel watched as Olivia ordered their ice cream, then came dashing back to the booth. Sitting down, she looked at Rachel. "Sorry, Rach. I didn't know what you liked, so I got you chocolate."

Rachel just sat there, wide-eyed- staring at her friend.

Liv frowned. "What?"

Rachel shook her head. "I never knew you liked ice cream that much, Liv," she said as she watched her friend take a giant bite of vanilla.

Olivia nodded. "I never had it that much when I was younger," she said quickly. "My mom didn't think I deserved it."

Rachel nodded. Then she slowly reached for her ice cream, making sure Olivia wasn't going to eat her hand. But Olivia was too interested in the ice cream she was eating to even _notice _Rachel's movements.

Rachel slowly put her spoon into the big blob of chocolate inside the little cup sitting in front of her. After putting some of the ice cream onto her spoon, she took a bite. She hadn't had ice cream in a long time either, and the taste was better than she had remembered.

She looked up to see Olivia watching her. "See?" Olivia said. "Told you it was good."

Rachel frowned. "You never told me anything! And even if you did, I would've never doubted you."

Olivia nodded. "Mhmm. Sure." Then, she quickly reached her spoon over to Rachel's ice cream and grabbed a huge bite, shoving it into her mouth.

Rachel's mouth opened wide. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "What the hell, Liv? That's mine! Eat yours."

Olivia glanced down at her cup that the ice cream came in. It was completely empty.

Rachel shook her head. "You eat too fast."

Olivia nodded. "I know. Now, are you gonna eat that? Or can I have it."

Rachel slid the rest of her ice cream towards Olivia, who quickly devoured it.

"That was good," she said after she was done. She grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth. "I kinda forgot how good ice cream was."

Rachel nodded, softly chuckling. "I noticed."

Olivia started laughing, then stood up. "I'm gonna go throw these away," she said, picking up the napkins. "I'll be right back."

Rachel nodded and watched as Olivia weaved through people to get to the trashcan. As soon as she got back to the booth, Rachel stood up. "You wanna get going now?" she asked.

Olivia nodded. "Yeah. I'm stuffed."

"Well, yeah" Rachel replied. "You had like four pancakes and then two scoops of ice cream. I would be stuffed too." After a few seconds, she snickered. "Pig."

Olivia's mouth opened. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "I am not a pig!"

"You just keep telling yourself that, pig," Rachel joked.

Olivia punched her in the arm. "Take it back," she said threateningly, a smile playing on her lips.

Rachel shook her head. "Never!" Then, she took off running through the store.

Olivia paused for a brief second before following her lead and bolting after her. She watched as Rachel sprinted out the door, pushing people out of the way. Olivia laughed when she saw a man yell at her friend for shoving him.

A few seconds later, Olivia also pushed the door to the store open and followed her friend through Times Square. They were weaving in and out of people, jumping over little newspaper stands, and yelling at each other playfully.

All of a sudden, Olivia collided with a person walking the opposite way as her. They both fell to the ground with an 'oof'.

Rachel turned around just as they collided. She halted to a stop and quickly ran towards them. When she got there, she saw Olivia on the ground. She kneeled down next to her, helping her sit up. "Liv, you okay?" she asked her friend.

Olivia nodded, rubbing her head. "Yeah, I'm fine." She turned towards the stranger she had collided with. "Are you-" Then she stopped.

A smile quickly found it's way to her lips as she made eye contact with the stranger. "Well, well, well," Olivia chuckled. "Out of the thousands of people in New York City, I happen to run into you."

The stranger laughed. "How ironic," he said, grabbing her hand as he helped her up.

They both stood and brushed the dirt off of their clothes, ignoring the stares they were getting from the public. And Rachel.

Rachel stood also, a frown making its way to her face. "Alright, I'm confused," she stated.

Olivia laughed. "Rachel, this is my friend," she said gesturing to the person standing beside her. "This is Elliot Stabler."

**A/N: I'm sure all of you knew that he was the one she ran into. And yes, that wasn't really the best place to end it, but no worries! i'll make it up to you in the next chapter! Thanks for reviewing! **

**-lawandorderSVUismylife-**


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Sorry, guys. I know i haven't updated in forever, but i have a perfectly good explenation for that...**_

_**school. **_

_**haha oh and i had a chapter mishap a little bit ago so if you read the chapter i posted before this one about ten minutes ago, im sorry. **_

_**disclaimer: I dont own SVU.**_

_**Chapter 7**_

Rachel's eyes widened as she stared at the man standing in front of her. He smiled at her reaction as he outstretched his hand towards her. "Nice to meet you," he said casually.

Rachel nodded, shaking his hand. "So you're Elliot Stabler," she stated unbelievably.

Elliot laughed. "Yep. That's me." He looked at Olivia. "Why does she seem so shocked to meet me?"

Olivia shrugged. "I…might've told her about you…a couple times…"

Rachel chuckled. "Um, no," she interrupted. She looked at Elliot. "You were the main idea of our conversations most of the time. I mean, it was 'Elliot this' and 'Elliot that'. She practically-"

Before Rachel could say anything else, Olivia reached behind Rachel and hit her in the head. Rachel's mouth fell open and she looked at Olivia. "Hey! What'd I-" but she was cut off by Olivia's glare. She got the hint and immediately shut up.

Olivia looked back at Elliot, a blush finding its way to her cheeks. "Sorry 'bout that," she said, hoping Elliot didn't notice her cheeks changing color.

Elliot raised his eyebrows. "For what?"

"Nothing," Olivia replied, almost too quickly. "Never mind."

Elliot nodded his head, and no one said anything for a few seconds. Rachel looked from Elliot to Olivia, realizing that the only thing they were looking at was each other. She sighed.

"So, Elliot," she said, breaking the silence between the three.

Elliot's eyes tore away from Olivia's and he looked at Rachel. "Yeah?"

"Liv and I were about to go through a nice walk through Central Park," she started.

Olivia frowned at her. "We were?"

"_Yes, _Olivia. We _were._" Rachel rolled her eyes. "Anyway, maybe you'd wanna go with us. Seems like you two may have a lot of catching up to do…" She let the rest of her sentence trail off.

Elliot looked at Olivia, wondering what she thought of the idea. Her facial expression didn't _seem_ like she thought it was a bad idea. He looked back at Rachel.

"Sure," he replied, casually shrugging. Then he looked at Olivia. "If that's okay with you, Liv."

Rachel answered before Olivia had time to. "She'd love it," she blurted out. "And besides, we could use a little extra company."

Elliot chuckled, never taking his eyes away from Olivia. "Alright, sure."

They grew quiet once again and Rachel rolled her eyes. "Alright then. Let's go," she said, grabbing Olivia's hand and attempting to pull her along. Elliot quickly followed.

"So, Elliot," Rachel began, trying to get him to talk. Ever since they had arrived in the park, Elliot and Olivia's eyes had been locked onto each other's. And neither had been making a sound. "Tell me about yourself."

Elliot tore his eyes away from Olivia's and looked at Rachel. "Well, what do you wanna know?"

Rachel shrugged. "Olivia told me you were a Marine. How long has that been going on?"

"Since I was seventeen," Elliot replied. "Did Olivia tell you _why_ I became a Marine?"

Rachel shook her head. "If she did, I don't remember."

"It's not a big deal," Elliot said, shrugging. "I just…didn't get along with my dad too well."

Rachel nodded. She knew exactly what he meant. "Yeah, I understand." She could tell that Elliot wanted to change the subject, and Olivia still wasn't saying anything, so she did it herself. "So, where were you stationed before you came here."

"Iraq," Elliot answered, kicking a pinecone across the sidewalk. "Don't ask me why. It's a long story."

Rachel stopped dead in her tracks. "Wait," she replied, her eyes widening. "Iraq?"

Elliot stopped in front of her, as did Olivia. "Yeah," he answered, confused with Rachel's facial expression. "Why?"

"Do you happen to know John McCormack?" Rachel asked.

Elliot nodded, a smile appearing on his face. "Yeah, yeah John and I are good buddies. Actually, we're best friends. We were two of the smartest Marines in our class. He's hilarious." He cocked his head. "How do you know him?"

A smile suddenly appeared on Rachel's face, and she started laughing. "What a small world."

Elliot and Olivia frowned. "What do you mean?" asked Olivia.

"Wow, you're talking again," Rachel joked.

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "Shut up. Now tell me, why is it such a _small world_?"

"Because," Rachel continued, "your little friend here," she gestured towards Elliot, "happens to be best friends with my older brother."

**A/N: I know, you can kill me if you want. It's incredibly short. But the next one is gonna make up for this one...i promise. Thanks for reviewing! **

**-lawandorderSVUismylife-**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I know, that last chapter was horrible. I just kinda needed a filler. Anyway, here's the next one, and i think you'll like it much much better than the one before this. oh, and it's a long one too. :)**

**disclaimer: I don't own SVU or any of it's characters.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 8<strong>_

Elliot's eyes widened in shock. "You're…you're John's…_sister_?" he asked in disbelief.

Rachel nodded. "Told you it's a small world."

"I can't believe this," Olivia stated. "It's so…"

"Weird?" Rachel offered. "Surprising? Astonishing?"

"I was thinking of the word 'coincidental'," Elliot said.

Rachel chuckled. "How long have you known John?" she asked Elliot.

Elliot thought for a moment. "Not long. Maybe a few years. He's been in the Marines way longer than I have."

Rachel nodded. "Makes sense. He joined when I was nine, so…eleven years ago. You joined when? When you were…seventeen?"

Elliot nodded. "Yeah."

"So it does make sense," Rachel continued. "You've known him since you started, which was a couple years ago. And he's been there for eleven years"

Elliot nodded again, then frowned. "You know, he never told me about his family. I never knew he had a sister."

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, when our parents died, he tried to block out the memories. He missed them the most out of the both of us." She grew quiet for a moment. Olivia knew Rachel hated talking about her family.

"So, Elliot," Olivia said quickly, "um…where were you off to when I ran into you today?"

"Literally," Rachel mumbled under her breath.

"What was that, Rach?" Olivia asked her friend, narrowing her eyes.

Rachel shrugged. "Nothing. I didn't say anything."

Olivia nodded slowly. "Uh huh…" She looked back at Elliot. "Anyway, like I asked before, what were you doing?"

"Truthfully, I was just taking a walk. Enjoying my time before I have to go back. Seeing everything I can, doing everything I can." He smiled. "Ya know?"

"Wait, when are you going back?" Rachel asked.

Elliot shrugged. "Whenever they call. Believe me though, the last thing I want to do is go back there. To that hell." He cringed. "It's tough. _Really_ tough. I can't _stand _it."

"Then why don't you quit?" Olivia asked, frowning.

"Liv, if I could quit, do you think I would be here right now?" Elliot replied. "I'd probably be living in Italy somewhere."

Rachel cocked her eyebrow. "Italy?"

"Yeah. I've always wanted to live there," Elliot responded. "Lot's of cute girls there." He winked at Olivia, which made her blush.

Rachel saw the flirting going on and tried as hard as she could not to chuckle. She never doubted that these two teenagers were perfect for each other, and these little acts made her sure of it. They were both cute, independent, and it almost seemed like they were made for each other. She definitely believed it was fate that brought them together on the train that one day. There was no doubt about it.

Rachel looked at her watch and decided it was time for her to go. Not because she had to, but because she wanted to leave the two alone. "Um, Liv." She grabbed her friend's arm and pulled her a few feet away.

Olivia frowned. "Yeah?"

"Um, I should get going," Rachel stated.

"Why?" Olivia asked quickly. "Do you need to be somewhere?"

"No, it's not that," Rachel replied. "It's just," she paused and looked over Olivia's shoulder at Elliot, who was looking at the two girls, confusion sketched in his face. "I don't think he'd mind having some alone time with you.," she finished.

Olivia turned around and looked at Elliot, who coked an eyebrow. She giggled, then turned back towards Rachel. "Alright, if you say so." But Rachel wasn't listening to what she was saying. Instead, her mouth was hanging open, her eyes wide.

Olivia frowned. "What's wrong Rach?"

Rachel started laughing. "Did I just hear Olivia Benson…_giggle?_" she asked, feigning surprise.

Olivia smirked. "Shut up," she said, lightly punching her friend in the arm. "Isn't there somewhere you should be going?"

Rachel held up her hands, still laughing. "Alright, alright. I'm going." She walked back to Elliot. "It was nice to meet you," she told him, holding her hand out to him.

Elliot nodded, shaking his head. "You leaving?"

"Yeah, I have to be somewhere," she lied, smirking at Olivia.

"Alright," Elliot replied. "Then it was nice meeting you." He grabbed her hand, which was still outstretched towards him, and shook it. "I hope to see you 'round."

Rachel nodded. "I'm sure we will," she responded.

She turned around and hugged Olivia before walking away, leaving Elliot and Olivia alone.

"So," Olivia said as soon as Rachel was out of sight.

"So," Elliot replied, awkwardly.

Olivia smirked. "You know, you're really good with girls," she said sarcastically.

Elliot shrugged. "I try," he said, obviously joking. Then, it seemed like her remembered something. "Oh, Liv?"

"Yeah?"

"Um, I was kinda wondering If you…maybe…wanted to go out tonight," he stuttered. "I mean, only if you want to. Our last date didn't really go too well, considering what happened beforehand."

Olivia flashed a smile before cocking an eyebrow. "Date?"

Elliot blushed. "I mean…I was kinda hoping it would be considered a date. But only if you-"

"I would love to," Olivia interrupted him, smiling.

Elliot let out a relieved sigh. "Okay, great." He looked at his watch. "Um, I should go home to get ready, but I'll see you tonight. Around, say….seven?"

Olivia nodded. "It's a date."

Elliot smiled and started to walk away, when he remembered something. "Um, Liv. Where are you…_living_ at the moment?"

Olivia chuckled. "The Edison Hotel. It's on Times Square. Room 306," she replied.

Elliot nodded. "Room 306," he mumbled to himself. "Got it." He looked towards her again and smiled. "Alright, then. I'll see you tonight. Seven sharp."

Olivia nodded. "I'll be ready by seven sharp," she half-mocked.

Elliot smirked. "See you," he said to her, turning around and walking away.

Olivia waved and started off on her own way back to the hotel to get ready for her special date planned for tonight.

* * *

><p>Olivia pulled every single outfit out of her closet that night, searching for the perfect dress to wear. She had no clue where Elliot was taking her, so she was kind of winging it. There was a dark blue one, sleeveless, that reached down to her knees, which showed the darker side of her. The pink, frilly one, that flowed just above her knees, which showed the flirty side of her. And then a light purple one that reached her ankles, which showed the fun side of her. But tonight, Olivia wasn't looking for dark, flirty, or fun. She was looking for downright <em>sexy. <em>

She liked Elliot, and she knew he liked her, too. Why not try to show him the sexy side of her tonight? Besides, he'd already seen shy Olivia, flirty Olivia, and happy Olivia. And if he liked all of those, he was bound to like sexy Olivia. But if only she could find the dress!

Finally, after about ten minutes of digging through her closet, she found it, hanging up behind everything else. She grabbed it and pulled it on, praying that it stilled looked at good on her as it did a couple years ago. As soon as she stepped in front of her mirror, she knew it was perfect.

The dress was black. It was strapless, and it showed every single curve her body had. It hugged her hips, as well as her upper-body. The dress stopped about ten inches above her knee. It was tighter and much shorter than Olivia remembered, but she loved it none-the-less.

She looked at the clock and panicked, realizing it was already 6:45. Quickly, she ran to her bathroom and found her makeup, putting on eyeliner, mascara, and blush. As soon as she finished, she ran back to her closet and found the heals that she had bought a couple days ago. They added a couple inches to her height, and made her outfit perfect.

After getting ready, she went back to her bathroom and looked in the mirror. From her heals up to her face, she realized that this was the first time in years that she felt pretty. The first time in years that she realized her mom was wrong about her. She really _could_ be pretty. She wished her mom was here right now, just to see her. Just so she could prove her wrong.

A knock on her hotel door brought her out of her thoughts. She smiled. He was here!

She grabbed a small black handbag, one that matched her dress, and quickly scurried to the door. Before she opened it, she smoothed out her short dress and fixed her hair a bit. Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened the door.

Elliot stood in the hallway, his eyes cast down on the floor. As soon as he heard the door open, he looked up. And as soon as he saw Olivia, he was speechless.

Olivia smiled. She had done exactly what she wanted to do…make him speechless. "Hey Elliot," she said, pretending to be clueless of what she was doing to him.

"H-hey Liv," he choked. "Y-you look…amazing."

Olivia nodded, trying to contain her happiness. "Thanks. So do you."

Elliot was wearing a tuxedo, one that looked brand new. It was perfectly ironed and everything.

"You look like you're going to a funeral," Olivia joked.

Elliot shrugged. "As long as I look good, then I don't care where I look like I'm going." He smirked. "And besides, I wanted to look good if I was going to be with someone as pretty as you."

Olivia blushed. "Thanks," she said, a little too quietly.

Elliot nodded, then looked at his watch. "Shit! We gotta go. Reservations are at 7:10."

Olivia nodded and stepped out into the hallway, shutting the door behind her. She started walking in front of Elliot, swinging her hips a little bit more than usual.

And Elliot noticed.

She took a few more steps before turning around. "You coming?" she asked Elliot, who was still standing in front of her door.

He shook his head, as if to clear his head, then proceeded forward. Olivia smiled and continued to walk alongside of him.

As soon as they reached the taxi that was waiting outside for them, Elliot opened Olivia's door for her. She climbed inside and he shut it. A couple of seconds later, he got in on the other side of the cab, climbing in next to Olivia.

As soon as they were both in, the driver turned around and looked at Elliot. "Where to?" he asked, somewhat impatiently.

"Blue Hill, please," Elliot answered.

Olivia's eyes widened when she heard the name. "El, that's one of the most expensive restaurants in New York City!"

Elliot smiled. "Yeah, well I wanted this to be…special. For you."

Olivia laughed. "You don't have to do all of this for me."

"Well, I want to," Elliot replied, shrugging casually. "You mean a lot to me, Liv. And I know I just met you, but I feel like I've known you forever. You-"

Elliot," Olivia interrupted, "Not that I don't like where this is going and such, but can we, um, wait until we're out of the taxi to continue this?"

Elliot chuckled. "Sure. At dinner."

Olivia nodded. They both turned to look out the windows on each of their sides when Olivia felt something quickly brush against her hand. She looked down and realized that Elliot's hand was only a couple inches away from her on the middle seat. She wanted so much to grab his hand, to hold it until they got to the restaurant, to keep holding it until they left. But she knew she couldn't. She didn't want to take things too fast. They were going the perfect pace so far. Well, besides that whole conversation Elliot almost started a couple minutes ago.

Olivia frowned. _'I mean a lot to him?' _she thought. _'But we just met a month ago. Not that he doesn't mean a lot to me, because he definitely does. I just can't believe he likes me this much. And that whole _'_I feel like I've known you forever' thing…was he serious? Or was he just over-exaggerating?' _Olivia stopped thinking and looked at Elliot from the corner of her eye. He was still staring out the window, minding his own business. _'He doesn't look like he would be the one to over-exaggerate about those things.'_

A few minutes later, they arrived at the restaurant. Elliot paid the driver and helped Olivia out of the car. She thanked him and took his arm as he lead her into the building.

**A/N: The ending of this chapter was bad, i know. But don't worry. The next one will surely make up for it. Thank you so much for revewing that last chapter, even though it really didn't deserve it. And thank you for reviewing in general! **

**-lawandorderSVUismylife-**


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Wow, this chapter is short. Sorry for the wait guys, and thanks for staying with me. High school is tougher than i thought! I have a physics AND a Spanish test tomorrow, and both are impossible! anyway, enough of my crappy life. :P go read the story!**_

_**disclaimer: I don't own SVU or any of its characters.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>C<strong>__**hapter 9**_

"Table for two, please," Elliot told the hostess as they walked inside.

The hostess picked up the papers sitting on the podium and looked at Elliot. "Name, please."

"It should be under 'Stabler'," Elliot stated.

The man looked at the papers in his hand and nodded. "Ah, yes. Mr. Stabler. Right this way please."

Elliot looked at Olivia, whose face was stuck in utter fascination. He smiled. "I take it you've never been to a restaurant like this," he told her, a smirk paying on his lips.

Olivia laughed. "Not this…_nice. _Elliot, this must've cost a fortune!"

"Like I said before," Elliot said, ushering Olivia to follow the hostess to their seats, "Anything for you."

Olivia smiled at his remark as the hostess led them to their seats, placing menus down on either side of the table. Their table was in the corner, far away from any bustling activity in the front of the restaurant.

Elliot pulled Olivia's chair out for her as she sat down. After pushing her in, he retreated to his own chair.

The waitress came and they ordered their drinks, then they both looked at each other.

"Can I finish telling you what I was saying in the cab now?" Elliot asked, a smile playing on his lips.

Olivia smiled. "Sure."

Elliot took a deep breath, then started. "Liv, there's something about you," he began, looking her in the eyes. "I'm not sure what it is, but you have it. It makes me feel like I've known you for all my life. And whenever I'm around you, the feeling gets stronger." He stopped and took another deep breath. "And, I was wondering if…maybe…you would be my girlfriend."

Olivia was dumbstruck. She hadn't really been expecting that. She didn't think that what he was saying in the taxi was actually leading up to this. And now, she was speechless.

Elliot took this the wrong way. "Liv," he stuttered quickly, "I-I know it's soon, and I know I just met you not too long ago, but-"

Olivia smiled and stood up. Elliot kept talking as she made her way over to his chair and stood right in front of him.

"I just feel like," Elliot continued, "like you and I, like we-"

Olivia bent down and her lips met his, cutting him off completely.

Elliot froze. One minute, he was explaining his feelings to her and the next, her lips were on his. After a couple seconds, however, he reacted and their lips molded together.

The kiss wasn't fast, or heated. It was slow, passionate, sensual…natural.

When oxygen became a necessity, they both pulled apart. Their eyes locked together and Elliot smiled.

"So," he breathed heavily. "Is that a yes?"

Olivia chuckled. "Absolutely," she said cupping his face. She leaned in again for a quick kiss, then pulled away and retreated back to her seat.

Dinner seemed to go quickly for the two of them. They never took their eyes off of each other, and when the waiter finally brought the check, Elliot paid and they both took off out the door.

As soon as they got outside, Elliot pulled Olivia into his arms, capturing her lips for another kiss. Olivia gladly returned it, and when he pulled away, she smiled.

"What was that for?"

Elliot shrugged. "For fun."

"Oh," Olivia responded. She leaned in again, capturing his lips one more time. She pulled away, smirking. "Well then that was for fun too."

Elliot laughed. "Hey, that's okay with me." After a few minutes, he added, "You want me to call a cab?"

Olivia thought for a moment. "I kind of wanna spend some time with you tonight. I don't wanna go back to my hotel quite yet."

Elliot nodded. "You wanna go to my place?"

"Sure," Olivia answered, a little bit too quickly.

Elliot chuckled. "Alright. My place it is."

In no time at all, they were standing outside Elliot's apartment. Digging into his pocket and pulling out his key, he quickly unlocked the door and held out is hand for Olivia to enter first.

"You got a nice place," Olivia said, smiling.

Elliot chuckled. "Compared to half the other New York apartments, I guess I do."

He made his way into the kitchen. "You want anything to drink?" Elliot asked, digging into his fridge and pulling out a beer.

Olivia saw the beer and nodded. "Sure," she replied, following him into the kitchen.

He handed her the beer he was holding in his hands and Olivia took it gratefully. She set her purse on the counter and opened the cold drink. "I still don't know how you get all this alcohol," she told him, taking a long sip.

Elliot chuckled. "I have my ways," he replied, smirking. He grabbed another beer in the fridge and opened it. "You wanna watch a movie?"

Olivia thought for a moment. "Sure," she replied. "Sounds…"

Romantic?" Elliot finished.

Olivia laughed. "I was gonna say fun, but romantic works too."

Elliot smiled and kissed her on the cheek before grabbing her by the waist. "Well, then. Let's go watch our romantic movie."

"Let's," Olivia replied, leaning into him.

They both made their way to Elliot's family room and Olivia flopped onto the sofa.

"I'm so tired," she stated, taking another sip of her beer.

Elliot nodded. "Me too." After a few seconds, he added, "You know, you could sleep here if you wanted to. I mean, you don't have to, but if you get too tired…"

"I think I may take you up on that offer," Olivia said, downing the rest of her beer. She frowned. "You have any more?" she asked, holding up the empty beer bottle.

Elliot nodded. "In the fridge. Help yourself."

Olivia nodded and stood up, making her way to the kitchen. She came back with two fresh beers in her hands. "Thought you'd want another, too," she told Elliot, setting the second beer down on the coffee table in front of her and opening her own.

Elliot nodded, downing the rest of _his _beer. He sat down next to her and grabbed the beer sitting on the table in front of him. "Thanks babe."

Olivia raised her eyebrow at him. "Babe?"

Elliot shrugged. "Thought it sounded cute."

Olivia laughed. "It does. I kinda like it." She leaned in and kissed him on the lips, pulling away before things got too heated. "So, _babe, _what movie are we watching?"

"'_A Walk to Remember'," _Elliot replied, licking the taste of her off of his lips.

Olivia smiled. "I love that movie!"

"So do I," Elliot replied. "One of the best."

The movie started and Elliot grabbed a blanket, draping it over him and Olivia both. He laid back down on the sofa and Olivia rested her head on Elliot's chest. His arm went around her and she snuggled into his side, content. And before either one of them knew it, they both drifted off to sleep.

**A/N: A walk to Remember is one of my all-time favorite movies, which is why i mentioned it. TLike i said in the first author's note, thank you guys so much for sticking with me. Can you all try to bare with me as i make my way through freshman year? Thanks guys!**

**-lawandorderSVUismylife-**

**P.S. Next chapter has a lil' bit of drama, so stay tuned! **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I. Feel. Terrible. haha i'm so sorry you guys! i've been so busy, and i've had like no time to update this story! high school's harder than you think. hopefully this update fixes things. :)**

**disclaimer: I don't own Law and Order: SVU or any of it's characters. If i did, Elliot would DEFINITELY still be on it.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

Olivia woke up the next morning slightly hung-over. As soon as she opened her eyes, she was blinded by the bright sunlight that poured through the window onto the sofa that she was still lying on. She quickly shut her eyes again, rubbing them. As soon as she moved her arm, however, she felt someone move beside her, tightening their embrace around her waist.

Her eyes widened. She had forgotten where she was at first. But then she remembered. _'Elliot's place,' _she thought to herself. She smiled, remembering the night before.

Elliot noticed her faint movement and sat up, staring into her eyes.

Olivia frowned. "How long have you been awake?" she asked.

Elliot shrugged. "About ten minutes."

"You could've woken me up, too," Olivia pressed, sitting up and rubbing her eyes again.

Elliot shook his head. "You were too beautiful to wake up," he replied, kissing her.

Olivia smiled against his lips. She knew he didn't understand how much it meant to her whenever he said that. Because of all the times her mom had said she wasn't beautiful. And all the times her mom had said a man would never love her. She wanted to show Elliot to her. Just so she could say 'Ha.'

She watched as Elliot stood up and made his way to the kitchen. "What's on your mind for breakfast today?" he asked her sweetly.

Olivia shrugged. "Whatever's fine. I don't have much of an appetite anyway."

Eliot nodded and started to take ingredients out of the cabinet. Soon, he had everything ready. Setting a plate of pancakes down on the table, he called for Olivia, who immediately came.

As soon as she saw the plate of steaming pancakes on the table, she immediately changed her mind about not having an appetite. Grabbing another plate, she took two pancakes off of the plate in the middle of the table and immediately started eating, stopping only when she heard Elliot chuckling.

"What?" she asked, her mouth full of pancake.

Elliot shook his head. "Nothing," he stated, still smiling. "I just thought you said that you didn't have much of an appetite."

Olivia shook her head. "I've changed my mind."

Elliot chuckled as he came up behind her and hugged her. "Wow, never met a girl with _this _big of an appetite."

"Hey!" Olivia said, smacking him on the arm. "What about the girls you work with. All those women in the Marines must have huge appetites."

Elliot shook his head. "Actually, we're not supposed to eat a lot because of all the running, climbing, and traveling we do."

Olivia thought for a moment, then smiled. "Sucks for you," she said, a smirk playing on her lips.

Elliot's eyebrow raised as he saw her smirk. "What…did you just say?"

"Sucks for you," Olivia replied, not even noticing the smirk that was growing on his lips at the moment.

Before Olivia knew it, Elliot picked her up and whisked her back to the couch. Lying her back on the sofa, he started tickling her mercilessly.

"Elliot! Stop!" Olivia squealed. "What did I do?"

"Take it back!" he said, laughing along with her.

"Take what back?" she asked in between laughs.

"That it sucks for me. Take it back!" he responded.

Olivia scowled, but it didn't last for long. "Why? El, stop! I can't breathe!"

"I'll stop when you take it back," he told her.

"Fine!" Olivia squealed. "I take it back! It doesn't suck for you! You win!"

Elliot took his hands off of her and, while Olivia was still trying to catch her breath, started laughing.

"Wha-what's so funny?" Olivia asked, breathing heavily.

Elliot smiled. "You're just so adorable when you're being tickled mercilessly by me."

"Oh, yeah right," Olivia responded. "You're funny."

"No, I'm not kidding!" Elliot told her, walking over to her and placing his arms around her. "You really are."

Olivia smiled, but then frowned. "Wait, are you trying to make up for what you just did?"

Elliot smirked. "Maaaybbbeee," he said, stressing each syllable.

Olivia's mouth widened and she hit him in the arm.

"Hey!" Elliot laughed. "For a women, you sure enjoy hitting people."

"No," Olivia replied, "I just like hitting you."

"Understandable," Elliot said, a smile still playing on his lips.

Olivia turned around and hugged him. "I'm really happy we're together," she said, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent.

Elliot smiled, tightening his grip around her. He still couldn't believe he met this girl. It was a miracle. "You have no idea."

* * *

><p>"Rachel!" Olivia burst through Rachel's apartment door a few hours later, calling desperately for her friend.<p>

Rachel jumped off the sofa, her face turning white. "Jesus Olivia! Why do you do that?"

Olivia smiled. "Guess what?"

"I don't know, what?" Rachel replied, a little irritated.

"Guess where I spent my night last night?"

Rachel thought for a moment, then it clicked. "Oh…my god."

Olivia's smile grew.

Rachel shook her head. "No way."

"Yeah way!" Olivia said, nodding her head.

"Wait, did you guys…_do_ it?" Rachel asked, her face turning a little more serious.

Olivia shook her head, her mouth opening wide. "No! You idiot" She paused. "But I am officially his girlfriend."

Rachel's mouth opened wide. "Oh my god, Liv! I'm so happy for you!" She ran over to her friend and attacked her with a hug. "This is so exciting! Wait, so you spent the night at his house last night?"

Olivia nodded, feeling like a little kid again. "Yep. You know how he took me on that date last night?"

"You went on a date last night?" Rachel asked, shocked.

"Oh, so I guess I forgot to tell you about that too," Olivia replied.

Rachel nodded. "Um, yeah. You did."

Well," Olivia began, "it was _amazing. _He took me to Blue Hill!"

"Blue Hill?" Rachel asked in shock. "Liv, Blue Hill is like, one of the most expensive restaurants in New York!"

Olivia nodded. "I know. Isn't he sweet? Anyway, afterwards, he asked me to be his girlfriend so I said yes and then he asked if I wanted to go back to his place and so we did and then we watched a movie and the next thing I know, I'm waking up in his arms on his sofa."

By the time Olivia finished, she was completely out of breath. Rachel started laughing. "Liv, I think I'm more excited for you than you are for yourself."

Olivia started laughing, then smiled. "Rachel, he's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Rachel frowned.

"Besides you, of course," Olivia said, noticing the frown on her friend's face.

Rachel nodded. "There we go," she said, the smile returning to her face.

Olivia laughed. "But Rachel, seriously. It's like he saved me. My entire life, I grew up with my mom saying that I'd never be loved. That I'm not pretty. But I think I just proved my mom wrong."

Rachel nodded. "Olivia, of course you did. You're beautiful, inside _and_ out. Your mom was wrong. Completely wrong. And you two are perfect for each other. I'm telling you, it was fate that you met on that train."

Olivia nodded, her smile widening as she thought of him. "I just want to be around him all the time," she confessed.

"Well, yeah, it's called love," Rachel said with a smile. "And I'm sure he feels the same way about you."

"I hope so," Olivia said quietly. She sat down on the sofa and Rachel sat down next to her.

"So has he told you he loves you yet?" Rachel asked nonchalantly.

Olivia shook her head. "But it's totally understandable. I mean, I haven't told him either. And maybe he doesn't. And if that's the truth, then that's okay." But truthfully, it wasn't. Olivia prayed that it wasn't the truth, because if something happened, and they happened to break up, Olivia's world would be crushed.

Rachel noticed the smile fading on her best friend's face, and she placed her hand on Olivia's knee. "Liv," she said slowly, "I've seen this kind of thing happen before. And I know that it's gonna work out between you guys. I know he loves you. I could see it in his eyes when you two were together. So don't be thinking about the negative things. Think about all the positive tings. And don't worry. Everything's gonna be okay."

Olivia smiled. "Thanks Rach. I guess I needed that."

Rachel shrugged. "But you really didn't need it. Anyone who's friends with my brother wouldn't think about doing anything to hurt you anyway. Otherwise, I could get my brother to kick his ass."

Olivia laughed. "I hope so."

Rachel nodded. "Oh, I would make him."

Olivia laughed again. "Thanks."

"No problem," Rachel responded. "Now," she said, standing up, "let's go do something productive. You wanna go out to lunch? I'll buy?"

Olivia nodded. "Sure. Oh, and don't forget that we're working tonight."

Rachel's eyes widened. "Shit! I completely forgot!"

"Of course you did," Olivia said, a smirk playing on her face.

"Shut up," Rachel mumbled. "I'm still tired. My memory sucks right now. I can't think straight."

"Suuurreeee," Olivia said, jumping away as Rachel tried to nudge her.

"Rachel chuckled. "C'mon, I'm hungry."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Olivia said, quickly running toward the door.

**A/N: That was for brokenangelx1. she PMed me saying how much she waned me to finish. Thanks girl! Love you guys! Thanks for reviewing!**

**-lawandorderSVUismylife-**


	11. Chapter 11

**_A/N: Alright guys. I know, i know, i haven't updated in a while. But i'm doing it now when i should be doing homework, so THERE! haha just kidding. you know i love you guys :)_**

**_disclaimer: I don't own SVU or any of its characters. _**

**Chapter 11**

_Two Months Later_

Elliot walked into his kitchen after taking a shower to find Rachel and Olivia lying on his sofa watching T.V. and eating popcorn. As he made his way towards them, they never took their eyes away from the screen. Curious about what was so intriguing, he studied the T.V., and after seeing what they were watching, he understood.

"Dawn of the Dead, huh?" Elliot said, chuckling to himself.

Rachel nodded, shoving popcorn into her mouth.

Elliot frowned. "A scary movie…during the _day_?"

Rachel nodded again. "You got a problem?" she asked him, only partially joking.

Elliot put his hands up in defense. "Nope, not at all. Just curious, though. Why not watch it during the night?"

"Because," Olivia answered, her eyes never leaving the screen, "we hate watching scary movies at night. It makes the concept seem more realistic."

Elliot chuckled again and sat down beside her, enveloping her in his arms. "I'll make sure no zombies get you, Liv," he told her, trying to keep a straight face.

Olivia snickered. "I guess I'd feel safe with a marine protecting my life," she said, finally taking her eyes off of the T.V. and pecking his lips.

Elliot smiled. "You should," he responded, kissing her one more time.

Rachel looked at them. "Well," she said awkwardly, "I feel odd playing the third wheel."\

Elliot looked at her. "I love you Rach," he told her, giving her one of his grins.

She smacked him. "It doesn't fix this third wheel thing, but I'll take it," she said to him before standing up and stretching. Grabbing the popcorn bowl, she looked at Olivia. "You want more popcorn?"

Olivia nodded. "Sure, why not."

Rachel nodded, and turned towards the kitchen. "You two love birds stay comfy. I'll be right back," she said over her shoulder.

Elliot and Olivia both smiled, and Olivia curled up beside him. A few seconds later, she spoke. "I'm really happy that I met you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Elliot kissed the crown of her head. "You have no idea," he told her.

They both grew silent, the only noise coming from the microwave in the kitchen, where Rachel was getting the popcorn. A couple minutes later, Elliot shifted next to her.

"Hey, Liv?"

"Yeah?" she replied.

"I love you."

Olivia froze. Did he just say what she thought he said? What she had been wanting to hear from him since day one? What she had wanted to hear all her life? She looked up into his eyes. "Really?" was the only thing that she could respond with.

Elliot nodded. "I do. So much."

Olivia's face lit up, and she couldn't stop smiling. "I…I love you too."

After a few seconds, she couldn't contain herself. She sat up and her lips smashed against his.

At first, Elliot was shocked. But soon, his mouth was in sync with hers. He cupped her face and she wrapped her arms around his neck, a moan escaping her lips.

Rachel walked into the room with a bowl of popcorn in her hands. "Hey guys. I got the-" As soon as she saw them, she froze, the popcorn almost falling out of her hands. After a few seconds though, she snickered, which caught the attention of both Elliot and Olivia.

Olivia pulled away from her boyfriend's face, her face turning bright red when she saw her friend standing in the doorway. Elliot, however, didn't seem fazed.

"Guys," Rachel said, trying her hardest to keep a straight face. "Like, I have absolutely no problem with this. I just have one thing to ask."

Elliot frowned. "And that is…?"

"Um, get a room?" Rachel replied, popping popcorn in her mouth, her smirk returning to her face.

Olivia started laughing nervously, and Rachel started laughing. "Calm down, Liv. I was kidding." She turned towards the kitchen. "Maybe."

Elliot and Olivia watched as she went back into the kitchen. After she was out of sight, Olivia turned back around.

"I'm sorry," she stated.

Elliot frowned. "For what?" he asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Was I going to fast? I mean, like, we can slow this down. I mean, if you want. When you told me you loved me, I was just so happy and excited because I've wanted to hear those words my entire life and-"

"Olivia," Elliot cut her off. "Slow down." He smiled at her. "I love you, okay. I'll go as fast as you want us to go. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Olivia nodded, feeling better about everything. After a few seconds, she said something she hoped she would never regret saying. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Elliot smiled and wrapped his arms around her, feeling more protective over her than he ever had. "Liv, I love you so much you don't understand. Every time I think about you, I go crazy. It's like I want you _and _I need you." He paused. "And if I ever have to leave you, I don't know what would happen to me."

Olivia sat up again and looked at him. "Well hopefully I'll never have to leave you," she told him, pure love in her eyes.

Elliot smiled and leaned in again for another kiss, which quickly became like the one before. This time, however, Olivia got on top of his lap, straddling him. Her arms went around his neck again, and his went to her face.

Rachel walked in again, this time with her purse, knowing that they would want some alone time. What was supposed to be a fun movie afternoon at Elliot's house turned into a hook-up party, where Rachel was the third wheel. But it's not like she minded. She knew Elliot and Olivia wanted this, and she knew how much this meant to her best friend.

Smiling one more time at them, she quickly and quietly snuck out the door.

Olivia brought her head up when she heard Elliot's door close. "Did Rach just leave?" she asked Elliot, slightly confused,

Elliot nodded. "Looks like it."

"She probably thought we wanted to be alone," Olivia told him.

Elliot smiled. "Do you want to be alone?"

"Of course I do," Olivia said, a smile forming on her face and her lips returning to his.

He smiled as her lips parted again, giving Elliot's tongue all the entrance it wanted. Taking advantage of it, Elliot's tongue wrestled with hers. Olivia moaned and gently grabbed the back of his head. Her breathing sped up and before she knew it, she was ripping Elliot's shirt off.

Elliot didn't argue as she slid her hands down his chest, moaning again.

"El," she said against his lips, "my shirt…off."

Elliot quickly grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up and off of her. Her arms went back around his neck, and before either of them knew it, Elliot laid down, bringing Liv down on top of him.

Quickly, and without breaking contact, Olivia pulled on Elliot's jeans, motioning for him to take them off.

Elliot suddenly paused and pulled away. Both him and Olivia were gasping for breath, and Elliot looked her in the eyes. "Liv," he breathed. "Do you really want to do this?"

Olivia nodded. "I've never been more sure about anything in my life."

Elliot nodded. "Then we're doing this somewhere else." He stood up, picking the giggling Olivia up with him. On the way to Elliot's room, Olivia thought about what was going to happen. Her heart was pounding so hard that she was almost positive Elliot could hear it. But what she had said to him definitely was no lie. She really had never been more sure of anything in her life.

Before she knew it, she was slowly being placed on Elliot's bed. Grabbing his neck, she pulled him down on top of him, stifling another giggle. Their lips met again, and Olivia knew she was making the right choice. She loved Elliot more than anything, and she knew she wanted to do this.

And so they did.

**A/M: How was _that? _Leave me a review and tell me how you liked it! Did anyone watch the World Series? I live in St. Louis, so of course i had to cheer for the Cardinals, but i felt bad when we won because i loved Texas's manager. ANYWAY thanks for reading and thanks for reviewing! **

**-lawandorderSVUismylife-**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter for you! This chapter is dedicated to all them Texas fans out there. I know it's a little late to be saying this, but you guys deserved to win the world series...big time. Seriously. You guys were amazing. Oh, and this is also dedicated to SilvrBlade. I completely understand. No worries girl! Okay, now, on with the story...**

**disclaimer: I do not own SVU or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 12**

_The next morning _

"Olivia?" Rachel walked into Elliot's place, calling her friend's name. Olivia never came home the night before, something which she always did after she and Rachel went to Elliot's for the night.

When Rachel woke up that morning, she expected Olivia to be sleeping on her sofa. Olivia always came home, no matter how late it was. She had told Rachel thousands of times that she wasn't read to spend the night with Elliot. When Rachel woke up that morning and realized Olivia wasn't anywhere in her home, she became nervous. Not that she didn't trust Elliot. She trusted him more than she sometimes trusted herself. But something could've happened to Olivia on the way home. She could've been kidnapped. Or hurt. So she decided to calm herself and go to Elliot's, hoping that's where her friend was. 'She probably just fell asleep on his couch,' Rachel thought to herself that morning.

Rachel slowly made her way to Elliot's couch, hoping Olivia was there. She wasn't, however, and Rachel continued to worry.

"Liv?" she called again. "Liv, where are you?"

She went into the kitchen. Still no one. She looked at her watch. It was already 12:15?

After searching the entire house, and finding neither Olivia nor Elliot, she decided there was only one more place they could both possibly be.

Slowly and quietly, Rachel made her way to Elliot's room. She reached the door, and cracked it open only a few inches, peering in. What she saw made her smile.

Olivia was wrapped in Elliot's arms, both of them under the covers. Their breathing was slow and steady, indicating they were both still asleep. Olivia's hair was fanned out around her. The ponytail she had it in the night before was long gone. Elliot's arms were surrounding her, as if he was trying to keep her safe. And from what Rachel could see, neither of them had any clothes on.

Rachel smiled. She opened the door some more and leaned against the doorway, watching her best friend and her best friend's boyfriend sleep. She was, no doubt, incredibly happy for Olivia. She was sure Elliot told her that he loved her. Why else would they be naked in bed?

She smirked at the sight. The smirk turned into a chuckle, which woke Elliot up.

Rachel watched as Elliot shifted, then yawned, not opening his eyes up yet. As soon as he felt Olivia in his arms, a smile formed on his face, and he tightened his arms around her.

"Well, aren't you two cute," Rachel said to him, knowing he would hear her.

Elliot's eyes bolted open as soon as he heard her voice, and he almost jumped out of the bed. The movement caused Olivia to open her eyes, and when she saw Rachel in the doorway, she also jumped up and pulled the covers all the way up to her neck, her face flashing bright red.

"Jesus Rachel!" Elliot yelled, pulling the covers back over himself.

Rachel shrugged. "Olivia never came home. I was worried for my best friend. But I guess she was having a much more fun time here anyway…"

Olivia scowled. "Rachel, I'm not four. I can take care of myself!"

"It sure looks like it," Rachel said, motioning to the both of them. She smirked. "You know, I think that was one of the most adorable things I've ever seen. You, wrapped in Elliot's arms, sleeping." She chuckled. "A perfect picture."

Olivia shook her head, not knowing whether to be embarrassed or mad.

"So," Rachel said, looking at Olivia. "How was he?"

"Rachel!" Olivia blurted, her face turning red once again.

Rachel shrugged. "It's a valid question," she replied.

Elliot chuckled. "That's your interpretation of a valid question?"

"Um, yeah?" Rachel said, looking at him. She looked at Olivia again. "Hey, we're all close. You can tell me how good Elliot was at sex, can't you?"

"Leave." Olivia said to her. "Now."

"Fine, fine," Rachel said, putting her arms up in surrender. "I've already done enough, waking you two up. Have fun." She winked at the both of them and walked out the door. "Don't forget to use a condom!" she said loudly after the door was closed.

Elliot and Olivia sat in the bed, staring at each other after she left. "What just happened?" Elliot asked.

Olivia shook her head. "She's so obnoxious."

"That's Rachel for you," Elliot replied. "We should really find her a boyfriend."

Olivia smiled. "You know no one could ever compare to you, though."

Elliot chuckled and climbed back under the covers next to her, wrapping his arms around her again. "You better believe it," he said sarcastically. After a few seconds, he sighed. "Liv?"

"Yeah?" she replied, looking up at him.

"Last night was probably the best night of my life," he said, looking down at her.

Olivia smiled. "Mine too," she told him, kissing his chest and intertwining her hand with his.

They laid there for a while, thinking about each other, cuddling, and laughing.

"So, beautiful," Elliot said, turning toward his girlfriend and smiling. "What did you want for breakfast?"

Elliot sighed. "El, you don't have to do this."

"Of course I do," he told her. He sat up. "So, what do you want."

Olivia smiled. How did she get this lucky to have a man like him? "Surprise me," she told him.

Elliot laughed and stood up, pulling his boxers on. "Deal."

Olivia sat up. "Do you mind if I take a shower?"

"Not at all," Elliot told her. "And when you come to the kitchen, I'll have everything ready."

"Olivia stood up and pulled her clothes back on. "I love you so much," she said, hugging him.

Elliot wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair.

"My mom always told me that no one would ever love me," she told him, tears coming to her face.

Elliot pulled her away from him and looked her in the eyes. "Liv, your mom was wrong. Completely wrong. Rachel loves you_. I _love you. So much."

Olivia smiled. "I know," she told him, hugging him one again. "I just never thought it could happen."

Elliot felt tears coming to his eyes. Who would ever tell this girl, _Olivia Benson, _that no one would ever love her? She was probably one of the most lovable people he had ever met.

"Well it did," Elliot said to her. "It happened. And I'm not going away."

"Promise?" Olivia asked, tears still escaping her eyes.

"Promise," Elliot replied, wiping her tears away. "You go take a shower. I'll be waiting downstairs."

Olivia nodded, then started her way to the bathroom as Elliot started his to the kitchen.

* * *

><p>"Eggs and bacon?" Olivia asked, coming downstairs from her shower, sitting down, and laughing.<p>

"What?" Elliot asked, his face somewhat offended.

"Nothing! It looks amazing," Olivia replied, chuckling.

"Seriously, Liv," he stated. His eyes widened. "Do you not like it? I can make something else. What would you like?"

Olivia stood up and kissed him. "I _love _it, Elliot. It's amazing. Thank you."

Elliot sat down next to her, putting the plate in front of her. "Good, because I wasn't going to make you anything else anyway." He smiled.

Olivia's mouth widened, a smile appearing on her face, also. "Well then."

Elliot laughed. "I'm kidding. I would make anything for you."

"Thanks, El. I really appreciate it," she said to him, sarcasm dripping through her voice.

"Okay, okay, eat your food" Elliot told her, a smile still plastered on his face. "I already have our day planned out, so we need to get a head start."

"Aw, El, you didn't need to do th-"

"Olivia!" Rachel yelled, bursting through Elliot's door.

Olivia and Elliot both jumped out of their chairs. When they noticed it was just Rachel, they both sat down again.

"Rachel, seriously, you need to stop," Olivia said to her friend, who was breathing incredibly hard as if she had just run there. "This is really getting annoying."

"Liv, this isn't for the sake of you two," she said, catching your breath. "It's your mom."

Olivia's eyes widened, and the cup she was holding in her hand fell. "Wh-what happened to her?"

"Olivia," Rachel said slowly. "You're mom…you're mom was killed."

**A/N: Did _that _surprise you? It actually surprised me in a way. Haha thanks for reviewing! **

**-lawandorderSVUismylife**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Wow. I haven't updated in what seems like a year. I feel terrible, but high school is pretty rough. And to top it off, EXAMS are this week. SHOOT ME! haha i hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**disclaimer: I don't own SVU or any of its characters. **

* * *

><p><em>Previous Chapter<em>

_"Olivia!" Rachel yelled, bursting through Elliot's door._

_Olivia and Elliot both jumped out of their chairs. When they noticed it was just Rachel, they both sat down again._

_"Rachel, seriously, you need to stop," Olivia said to her friend, who was breathing incredibly hard as if she had just run there. "This is really getting annoying."_

_"Liv, this isn't for the sake of you two," she said, catching your breath. "It's your mom."_

_Olivia's eyes widened, and the cup she was holding in her hand fell. "Wh-what happened to her?"_

_"Olivia," Rachel said slowly. "You're mom…you're mom was killed."_

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><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

"Wh-what?" Olivia asked slowly, standing up.

"You're mom. She died last night," Rachel replied.

Olivia shook her head. "How?"

"She fell down the subway stairs," Rachel told her sadly. "Liv, I'm so sor-"

"Don't be," Olivia interrupted. She slowly sat back down. "She didn't do anything for me when I lived with her."

Neither Elliot nor Rachel knew what to say. Olivia sat in the chair, thought sketched all over her face. Not one tear dropped down her cheek.

Elliot stayed quiet, waiting to see what Olivia's next move was. He watched her quietly, as did Rachel.

After a few minutes of quiet, Olivia looked back up at Rachel. "On the news, did they say anything about…about me? Did anyone mention me?"

Rachel shook her head, then swallowed. "Liv," she said slowly, "I don't…I don't think anyone knows you're gone. On the news, they said that you're mom had no children. They _never _mentioned you."

Olivia nodded, partial relief spreading through her body. If they didn't mention her, that means no one was looking for her.

Olivia stood up, quickly followed by Elliot. "Liv," he stated calmly, "everything's gonna be okay."

Olivia shook her head. "El, I'm fine. I just…I just need some air." She quickly walked out the door.

Elliot quickly attempted to go after her, but Rachel stopped him. "Let her go, El. She needs time to herself."

Elliot thought for a moment, then nodded. "You're right."

Rachel sat next to him. She watched as he looked down at his lap, his face etched with pain. Olivia's pain.

"You really love her, don't you?" Rachel asked him.

Elliot looked at his girlfriend's best friend and nodded. "More than anything in the entire world."

Rachel touched his knee and nodded. "I can tell she means the world to you, Elliot. And believe me. She thinks the exact same thing about you."

Elliot nodded, then looked up at Rachel. Rachel noticed tears in his eyes.

"El, what's wrong?" she asked, frowning.

He shook his head, then put his head in his hands, mumbling something.

Rachel shook her head. "Elliot, I can't understand you."

He looked up, a tear slowly gliding down his cheek. "I have to go back," he stated quietly.

Rachel's frown deepened as she tried to figure out what he was talking about. "Back? Back where?"

Elliot watched as Rachel suddenly figured it out, her confused frown turning into one of sadness. "The Marines," she whispered.

Elliot nodded, standing up. He disappeared into another room then came back out, this time with an envelope in his hand. He placed it in front of Rachel on the table, motioning for her to read it as he sat back down in the seat.

Rachel picked up the envelope, which had the U.S. Marines logo on the front, and opened it, retrieving the paper inside. On the paper was a typed message. She slowly read it.

_Elliot Stabler,_

_The time of your absence has come to an end. You are to report back to Iraq next month. If you do not, we will send officials to retrieve you. Thank you for continuing to serve with the U.S. Marines. _

_Master Sergeant Ricardo_

Rachel shook her head. "When did you get this?"

"This morning," Elliot replied. "When Liv was in the shower. It came in the mail."

"B-but why? Why do you need to go back?" Rachel asked, suddenly getting angry. "Do they need you that bad? If they could handle not having you there for this long, they can certainly handle not having you there at all!"

Elliot shook his head. "Rachel, it's not that easy. I signed up to be in the Marines for a certain number of years and I have to serve the country for however long I signed up for. It's not their fault." He paused. "It's mine."

Rachel thought about this for a minute, then nodded. She completely understood. Her brother had been there for what seemed like an eternity. She hadn't seen him in years.

Elliot shook his head, which brought her out of the trance. "I can't leave her," Elliot stated, standing up and pacing. "I just can't, Rach."

Rachel watched him, trying to think of the right thing to say. "El, she'll completely understand though."

"No," Elliot said to her. "She won't. I need to be there by next month. _Next month_!"

Rachel thought for a minute. "El, why don't you-"

"We had sex last night Rachel." He stopped pacing and looked at her. "For the first time. And she told me she loved me. How could I leave her after that?"

Rachel looked at him. "El, you need to-"

"Do NOT tell me to calm down, Rachel," he stated, starting to pace again. "I can't calm down. This is not a good time for me to _calm down_. I can't just leave her after last night. What am I supposed to say to her? How am I going to tell her? Rachel I don't know what to-"

Rachel stood up and made her way to him, stopping him in his tracks. "Elliot," she said harshly, grabbing his shoulders. "You need. To calm. Down."

Elliot paused and let out a breath. Slowly, he managed to calm down enough to sit back in his chair, his face going back into his hands.

Rachel followed him and sat down next to him. "Elliot, listen to me."

He brought his head back up, his eyes lined with tears once again.

"Elliot," Rachel began. "Olivia loves you. She loves you more than you could imagine. And if I know Olivia, I know that she would _never _get mad at you for leaving. Sure, she'll be sad. Of course she will! But how could she get mad at you for serving our country? You should hear all the times she brags to the people at the bar about you. About her boyfriend who 'bravely serves in the Marines'. There's not a day that goes by when she doesn't thank God for giving you to her. Of course she'll be sad. But she'll know the good that you're doing for this country…for her! I'll still be here for her. It's not like you'll be leaving her completely alone. She still has me, and all of the workers at the bar who adore her. She won't feel alone. And sure, she'll miss you. She'll miss you so much. But you guys have so many ways to keep in touch."

She paused, catching her breath.

Elliot thought about what she said, and nodded his head slowly. "You know, you're right. I'm sorry."

Rachel shook her head. "Don't be. I can completely understand your pain, Elliot. When John left, I cried every night and day for a week. But I know he thinks about me and whenever I get a letter from him, I know he's safe. I promise you that I'll watch over Olivia until you get back."

Elliot wiped a tear on his cheek. "Promise?"

Rachel nodded. "Promise."

Elliot nodded, then stood up. Rachel did too, and Elliot enveloped her in his arms. "Thanks, Rach," he said quietly.

Rachel nodded. "It's what I'm here for," she replied.

He let go of her and sat down just as Olivia walked back in the door.

Rachel saw her and immediately ran towards her. "Are you okay?" she asked her friend, hugging her tightly.

Olivia nodded. "You know what, yeah. I am," Olivia said, hugging Rachel back. "I was thinking about it, and I realized that there's no point in missing her. She never did anything for me. My past life is nothing now. I have you and Elliot, and that's all I ever really need."

Rachel nodded, but Olivia noticed the sadness in her eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked her friend, frowning.

Rachel shook her head. "Nothing," she replied, feigning a smile.

Olivia's frown grew. "Rach, there's something wrong." She looked at Elliot, whose face also showed sadness. "Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

Elliot stood up and walked towards his girlfriend, immediately surrounding her in his hug. "I love you so much," he told her.

Olivia's frowned stayed glued to her face, but she hugged him back. "I love you too, El." She pulled away. "But can you please tell me what's going on?"

Rachel looked at Elliot, who swallowed deeply. "Liv, this is really hard for me to tell you."

"What?" Olivia asked quickly. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Elliot nodded. "I'm fine."

"Then what's wrong?"

Elliot looked at his girlfriend's pleading face. Sighing and attempting to hold back tears, he told her.

"I need to go back to Iraq."

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><p><strong>AN: I don't know about you guys, but if my boyfriend told me that, i'd ball my eyes out. thank you so much for staying with me on this story. And thanks for the wonderful reviews i'm getting! I'm not kidding, it's you guys who keep me going. Thanks for reviewing!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I made myself finish this, even though i'm incredibly tired. Oh the things i do for you guys. haha just kidding! i hope you like this update! there's a lot of crying. kind of. enjoy!**

**disclaimer: I don't own SVU or any of its characters.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

Olivia's mouth fell open and tears began to sting her eyes. "What?"

Elliot's hug tightened and he nodded. "I'm so sorry, Liv."

Olivia shook her head. "No," she replied, pulling away. "No, don't go. You don't have to. Stay, Elliot."

Elliot shook his head. "Liv, I don't have a choice."

Olivia shook her head one last time before sobs took over her body. Elliot quickly grabbed her again and wrapped his arms around her.

"Shh, Liv," he said softly, trying to get her to calm down. "Olivia, it's okay. It's okay."

Olivia shook her head and hit his chest with her fist. "No," she sobbed, "No. It's not!"

She tried to pull away but Elliot stopped her, pulling her even closer to him.

"Olivia, honey, please calm down." He tried again, this time pulling her head up to look into his eyes. "Liv, please."

Olivia looked up and saw the pure look of heart break in his eyes. Her sobs slowly stopped and she hugged him again, never wanting to let go.

Elliot made his way to the couch, still interlocked with Olivia, while Rachel ran to the kitchen to get Olivia some water. She returned and set it down in front of them. As she watched them, she knew they needed alone time, so she grabbed her jacket and walked out the door.

Elliot watched her leave, knowing what she was doing. In his mind, he thanked her, then looked back at his girlfriend in his arms.

"Liv," he said softly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'm so sorry. You know I wouldn't do this if I didn't have to."

Olivia nodded. She understood perfectly well. But why was this happening to her? "You know," she said, wiping stray tears off of her cheek. "I was thinking the other day."

"Oh yeah?" Elliot replied, happy that she wasn't crying anymore. "About what?"

"About us," Olivia answered. "About when we first met."

As soon as she said this, tears began to form in Elliot's eyes. He quickly wiped them away, hoping that Olivia didn't see them.

"That was the best day of my life," her whispered to her.

Olivia smiled, tears once again forming in her eyes. "Mine too."

Elliot shifted so that Olivia was now cradled up next to him. "I remember getting on that train and seeing you. Sitting there all alone. And then I saw you checking me out." He smiled as Olivia chuckled_. God how he loved the sound of her laugh. _

"As I recall, you were looking right back at me, Stabler," Olivia replied, playfully hitting his chest.

Elliot shrugged. "Of course I was. You were the most beautiful girl I'd ever laid my eyes on."

"Were?" Olivia asked, smiling at him.

Elliot chuckled. "And you still are, of course."

Olivia nodded. "That's more like it," she joked, cuddling deeper into Elliot.

Elliot gave her a gentle squeeze, then continued. "And I remember I walked over to you, and asked if the seat across from you was taken." He paused and sighed. "And you looked at me with those big brown eyes of yours and I immediately fell in love with you."

Olivia frowned. "You mean, you fell in love with me as soon as you saw me?"

Elliot chuckled again. "Have you ever heard of 'love in first sight'?"

Olivia nodded. "But I never really believed in it."

"Neither did I," Elliot replied. "Until I saw you."

Olivia blinked away tears as she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. He hugged her back as he looked into her brown eyes.

"I love you so much," Olivia said, kissing him again, this time on his lips.

"I love you too, Liv," he replied, returning her kiss. "More than you know."

"I'm gonna miss you, El," she told him. "I don't know how I'm gonna live without you."

"Liv, you're a strong young woman. You're surrounded with people who care so much about you," Elliot told her, gently grabbing her shoulders so she was facing him. "And I know you'll miss me, but it's okay. I'll be home before you know it."

Olivia shook her head. "El, two years. You're gonna be gone for another two years. It's not gonna go by fast. Even you know that."

"But Liv, we'll keep in touch," Elliot said, grasping her hands. "I promise I'll write to you every chance I get. It'll work out."

Olivia looked into his pleading eyes and nodded. "And if it doesn't?"

"We'll make it," Elliot responded, smiling sadly. "I know we can. We're Benson and Stabler. Anything is possible."

Olivia laughed at his reference. "Benson and Stabler?"

Elliot nodded. "Benson and Stabler."

Olivia hugged him. "And anything is possible," she whispered into his ear.

Elliot smiled and nodded. "Anything."

* * *

><p>The days slowly faded away. Elliot and Olivia spent as much time together as possible. Their days consisted of walking in the park, going out to eat, and everything else they could possibly think of before their time together ran out. Before either of them knew it, the day before Elliot was supposed to leave appeared.<p>

Olivia walked into Elliot's apartment. The door was wide open, boxes everywhere. She found her way into his bedroom and saw him packing things from his closet. She leaned against the doorway and watched him. After a few minutes, she sighed, gaining Elliot's attention.

"Hey Liv," he said, turning around a smiling at her. "How long have you been standing there?"

Olivia shrugged. "A few minutes. I'm trying to take you all in before you leave tomorrow." She smiled.

Elliot chuckled and made his way over to her, grabbing her in his arms and kissing her. "I can't believe it's already time to go."

"Me neither," Olivia replied, shaking her head. "I know I've said this millions of times already, but you really don't understand how much I'm gonna miss you."

Elliot's smile turned into one of sadness. "But I do know. Because I'm gonna miss you more than you're gonna miss me." He kissed her again. "I know it."

Olivia nodded, then smiled. "Are you ready for tonight?"

Elliot frowned. "What's tonight?"

Olivia shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. I was thinking we could maybe see a movie…get dinner…have sex one last time…"

Elliot picked her up and she giggle, wrapping her legs around his waist. "Well then in that case," Elliot replied, "I'm ecstatic for tonight."

Olivia laughed and kissed him hard, leaving Elliot to do the same. Soon after, Elliot pulled away, leaving Olivia begging for more. "Liv," he laughed. "Save it for tonight."

Olivia smiled. "I don't know if I can," she said to him, wrapping her arms around his head. She looked into his eyes, then at the bed. "You know, there isn't a law against having sex multiple times in one day. And there's a bed right there…"

Elliot smiled and turned around, throwing Olivia onto the bed playfully and ripping his shirt off. He jumped on top of her and she screamed with laughter.

"You're right," he said to her, smiling. "There isn't a law against it."

She laughed as she pulled her shirt over her head and started to kiss him. Right as she was pulling her pants off, however, Rachel walked into Elliot's room.

"Oh. Hey guys," she said casually, seeing the two on top of each other.

Olivia rolled her eyes and Elliot smirked, climbing off of is girlfriend. "Hey Rach," he said to her. "Um, we're kinda in the middle of something here. So if you don't mind…"

Yeah, yeah I know," she said, waving her hand. "I'm leaving. I came here to tell Liv I'll be working all night tonight. Christy needs some extra help at the bar since everyone's going on vacation right now."

Elliot smiled. "Well Olivia's gonna be working all night tonight too so…"

"Elliot!" Olivia laughed, her eyebrows raising. "Really?"

Elliot shrugged. "It's true!" he replied, winking at her.

Rachel raised her hands up and shook her head. "Too much info, Elliot. Way too much."

Elliot laughed. "Sorry."

"I'm gonna go now…" Rachel said, turning around. "You children play nice."

Elliot and Olivia looked at each other and Olivia giggled again. "Shut the door behind you!" Elliot called out.

"Whatever," came the response from Rachel.

Elliot and Olivia waited until they heard his apartment door close before Elliot kissed her again. "Now, where were we again?"

Olivia laughed. "Right here," she replied, kissing his neck.

"Oh, yeah. I remember now," Elliot said, unclasping her bra.

Olivia laughed as she pulled him back down on top of her.

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><p><strong>AN: Did you like it? took me forever! haha anyway thanks so much for reading! you guys are seriously the best! and thanks for reviewing!**

**-lawandorderSVUismylife-**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Chapter 15, up and ready. That was a pretty quick update...for me. Hope you like!**

**disclaimer: I don't own SVU or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 15**

'_Flight number 41, leaving for Mosul, Iraq, boarding in ten minutes. Ten minutes until boarding, flight number 41."_

Olivia sat in Elliot's arms, cradled up next to him. A tear slowly slid down her cheek as they sat there silently, making as much as they could of the time they had left with each other.

"Elliot," Olivia whispered.

Elliot's gripped tightened around her as he kissed her head. "Yes?"

She sighed. "I don't want this moment to end," she told him, her voice shaking.

Elliot's eyes turned glassy when he heard his girlfriend say that. He didn't want it to end either.

"I'll be back before you know it, Liv," he said, turning her head towards his and kissing her. "I promise."

Olivia shook her head. "What if you get hurt, El? What if…what if something happens? And I…" she paused and wiped a tear off of her cheek, "I never get to see you again?"

Elliot took a deep breath and stood up, bringing Olivia up with him. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and started to cry harder.

"Elliot, I don't want you to leave," Olivia said in between sobs. "It's not fair! I finally meet the love of my life and he has to leave? Go to war? What did we do to deserve this, El? What did we do?"

Elliot let her cry, rubbing her back and rocking her back and forth. "I know, Liv. We didn't do anything. It's just the way it is."

"Well I don't want it to be this way!" Olivia yelled. "Why can't I just get what I want in my life? Just once?"

"I don't know, honey," Elliot replied, a tear sliding down his cheek. "I really don't."

They stood there, hugging each other for all it was worth. Elliot buried his face in Olivia's hair as Olivia cried on his shoulder. He was going to miss the smell of her. The touch of her. Waking up with her and spending every day with her. He wasn't sure how to live without her yet.

'_Flight number 41, leaving for Mosul, Iraq: boarding now. Flight number 41, boarding now.'_

Elliot and Olivia's hearts both sank when they heard the intercom. They had been dreading this moment for as long as they could remember.

Olivia's crying had calmed and she wiped a tear from her eye as she pulled away and looked Elliot in the eyes. The eyes that she had fallen in love with. The eyes she was in love with. The eyes she wouldn't be seeing for another two years. "I love you…so much," she told him, kissing him.

He smiled after she pulled away and wiped a tear from her cheek. "I love you too, Liv. Please don't forget that."

Olivia smiled. "Never." She straightened his marine uniform, fully equipped, and cupped his cheeks in her hands. "Stay safe," she whispered.

Elliot nodded, a tear sliding down his cheek. Olivia shook her head and wiped it away. "Don't cry. You'll just make me start again."

'_Flight number 41, last call for boarding. Flight number 41."_

Elliot sighed. "I just don't want to leave you," he whispered.

Olivia smiled sadly. "Don't worry. Like you told me, you'll be home before either one of us knows it."

"It feels like forever," Elliot told her. He gripped her in his arms one more time before kissing her and picking up his bags. "Stay out of trouble," he told her, smiling.

Olivia chuckled. "I'll try," she told him.

Elliot nodded. "I love you."

"I love you too," Olivia replied.

Elliot turned around and started his way to the tunnel to board the plane. Half way there, he turned back around and ran back to Olivia, picking her up and spinning her around. He kissed her hard and smiled.

"Don't miss me too much."

Olivia laughed. "I will."

Elliot chuckled. "I know."

Olivia gave him one more kiss before her smile faded. "You're gonna miss your flight if you don't go now, El." It killed her to say that to him, but they both knew it was true.

Elliot nodded, his smile also fading. Then, he remembered something. "Before I go…" he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet box, placing it in his girlfriend's hand. "Take this. I'll always be with you this way."

He didn't give her any time to respond after he kissed her and quickly sped to tunnel to board the plane. He turned around one more time and waved to Olivia, who waved back, a smile on her face. 'I love you' she mouthed to him.

Elliot smiled. 'I love you too' he mouthed back. Then he turned around and walked onto the plane.

* * *

><p>Olivia sat in a chair in the airport. Elliot's plane had taken off about an hour ago and she didn't want to move. She felt empty. And she hated it.<p>

She sat in the seat and watched as families, couples, and other people walked to and from gates. It seemed like she was the only one who had just lost her best friend for two years. To fight. In a war.

As she was sitting in a chair, a little girl walked up to Olivia. As soon as Olivia saw her, she knew she looked familiar. She just couldn't figure out where she had her before.

The little girl came up and looked at Olivia. "Hey!" she said to her. "I remember you!"

Olivia frowned. "You do?"

The little girl nodded. "Yeah! I'm Monica! You're Olivia! I saw you at the park!"

Suddenly it dawned on Olivia. The little girl at the park! The one she had seen months ago! How could this little girl remember her?

"Monica!" Olivia said, smiling at her. "What are you doing here?"

Monica climbed up in the chair next to Olivia and looked at the ground. "We just dropped daddy off. He had to leave again."

Olivia frowned. "Leave? Is he going on a trip?"

Monica nodded. "Mommy says he's gonna be gone for a while."

"Oh, it can't be that long, can it?" Olivia asked her, trying to brighten the little child up.

Monica was about to say something else when her mother saw her and walked up to the two of them, two other children following behind her.

"Monica! There you are!" her mom said to her, a frown on her face. "You know what I told you about talking to strangers!" She looked at Olivia. "I'm sorry. My child can be a little bit outgoing at times."

Olivia smiled. "Oh no, she's adorable. I don't mind at all."

Monica's mom smiled and was about to turn around when Monica gripped her arm. "Mommy, this is the girl I was talking to at the park. Remember, a long time ago? Her name's Olivia."

The mom looked at Monica and smiled. "Monica, you've met many people at the park before."

"But I remember her!" Monica stated, pointing towards Olivia.

Olivia stood up and smiled at Monica's mom. "Actually, we did meet at the park before. But it was a while ago. You're daughter had a great memory."

Monica smiled. "See?"

Monica's mom frowned curiously at Olivia. "Oh, I'm so sorry." She held her hand out to Olivia. "I'm Jane, Monica's mom."

"Olivia," Olivia replied, gripping her hand.

"I'm sorry for my daughter," Jane said, smiling apologetically. "She has the tendency to talk to random people sometimes."

Olivia waved her hand. "No, it was no problem. She's adorable. And very smart. I'm surprised she recognized me."

"I don't forget people," Monica stated proudly. "I'm good at remembering."

Olivia smiled. "I can tell!"

Monica sat back down in the chair and motioned for Olivia to sit back down also. "I was telling Olivia about daddy," Monica told her mom.

Jane sighed. She looked at Olivia. "We just dropped of my husband."

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, Monica told me he was going on a trip."

Jane nodded. "Yeah, he was just called back to Afghanistan. He's been deployed there for about four years. He came back for half a year and now he's back for another four. We're gonna miss him, aren't we girls?"

All three of the children nodded their heads.

Olivia's heart sank for the family. Here, she was feeling sorry for herself because her boyfriend was leaving for two years, and this family's father was leaving for four? And they were taking it so well. Olivia wouldn't know what to do if Elliot was gone for four years. She probably wouldn't be able to bare it.

"If you don't mind me asking," Jane interrupted her thoughts, "were you here to drop off a relative?"

Olivia shook her head. "My boyfriend is actually going back to Iraq for a couple years." She felt horrible saying that. Now, two years seemed like nothing.

Jane nodded, seeing the pain in the teen's eyes. "I know exactly how you're feeling right now. I couldn't bare the thought of leaving Mike for four years when he left for the first time. But don't worry." Jane smiled warmly at Olivia. "It goes by faster than you think. And before you know it, you'll be back in his arms."

Olivia smiled, truly feeling better. "Thank you," Olivia told her sincerely. "You don't know how good it felt to hear that."

Jane nodded. Then she looked at her watch. "Alright girls, come on, we have to go." She looked at Olivia. "It was nice to meet you Olivia. Tell your boyfriend I said thank you for serving our country." She smiled again.

Olivia smiled back. "I will. Tell your husband the same." She looked down at Monica. "Bye Monica. It was nice seeing you again."

Monica nodded. "Bye Olivia!" She waved as Olivia waved back.

Olivia watched the family walk away, smiling and laughing as if their dad hadn't left them for four years. It made her realize something. Why complain and feel sorry for herself when Elliot wanted her to live her life while he was away.

Olivia smiled to herself as she started walking out of the airport. After a few steps, however, she felt something in her pocket. She suddenly remembered the gift Elliot had given her before he left. She had put it in her pocket when she was watching his plane descend.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the velvet box, opening it slowly. What she saw made her eyes water again.

She pulled the gold necklace out of the box and held it up, reading the description engraved on it.

'_Semper Fi'_

_I Love You._

_El._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Alright, so how'd you like it? Sad? Good? Bad? Cute? Drop me a review! I love them! I had to put the sempter fi in there. It just seemed like it fitted. And do you all remember Monica? She was the one Olivia saw at Central Park in like, chapter 4 while waiting for Rachel. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviwing! Your reviews make my day!**

**-lawandorderSVUismylife-**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Wow. How long had it been since i've updated? 20 years, maybe? Haha i'm so sorry you guys! I've been catching up with school, basketball, projects...EVERYTHING! But i'm back! ...for now. Anyway, here's the next chapter of Don't Stop Believing! Thank you so much for sticking with me! Love you all!**

**Oh, and i also wanted to say, sometimes the italics button doesn't work, so the letter from Elliot and Olivia's memory from New YEar's Eve in this chapter are all in italics, just in case...**

**disclaimer: I don't own SVU or any of the characters. **

* * *

><p><strong>5 Months Later<strong>

Olivia stood behind the bar at work, fingering the necklace Elliot had given her almost half a year ago. She smiled just thinking about him, even though she missed him like hell.

Rachel walked up behind her. "Hey Liv," she said, wiping off the bar table. When Olivia didn't respond, Rachel stopped and put the rag down. "Liv?"

Olivia looked at Rachel, her eyes turning glassy. "I miss him so much, Rach."

Rachel sighed and brought her best friend into a hug. "I know, Liv. I do too. And you know he misses you more than anything."

Olivia nodded. "I've been trying to keep busy. Trying to keep my mind off of him. But it's so damn hard. It's like everywhere I go, I see him."

Rachel smirked. "Wow Olivia. You must really love him."

"I do! So much! And I need him!" Olivia responded.

Rachel nodded. "I know, Liv. Don't worry, he'll be home before you know it."

As soon as Rachel said this, Olivia broke from Rachel's arms and frowned at her. "Rach, you say that all the time. He said that all the time. But it's not true!" Olivia paused, wiping her eye. "It's been the longest five months of my life. I'm not kidding, Rach. It's been torture. I just want him back."

"Liv, I know you miss him, but you need to stay strong," Rachel replied, getting a stool and motioning for Olivia to sit down on it. "You know he would hate it if he knew you cried for him every week. He hates when you're in pain."

Olivia smiled slightly, her mood getting a little better. "I know. He would kill me." She sniffed. "But I'm still so worried about him, Rach. What if…what if he's hurt?"

Rachel chuckled. "You know he's okay, Liv. He's been writing to you every fucking day. Believe me, I would know. Whenever I run by your apartment, the mailman always makes me take your mail up to you. And there's always one, if not more, letters from him in that pile."

Olivia laughed. "The highlight of my day is getting those letters."

"At least you guys keep in touch," Rachel said, starting to clean the bar again. "My brother John used to write to me, but now Heaven knows where he is."

Olivia's smile faded as she remembered Rachel's brother, who was also in the Marines with Elliot. "Do you ever talk to him? Hear from him?"

Rachel stopped cleaning again and put the rag down. She turned around, facing Olivia, and for the first time in a long time, Olivia saw tears in Rachel's eyes.

"I haven't heard from him for as long as I can remember," Rachel told her, her voice shaky. "The only reason I know he's not dead is because someone would've notified me."

Olivia sighed and stood up, this time pulling Rachel into a hug. "Rach, it's okay to cry."

Rachel nodded. "I know. I just…I miss him. And I feel horrible saying this because I know how much you miss Elliot, but you have no clue how much I miss my brother."

Olivia nodded. "Rach, I know how hard it is. Believe me."

Rachel cried on Olivia's shoulder for a moment before pulling back and wiping her eyes. "This is so stupid. I don't know why I'm doing this. I should be the one comforting you."

Olivia smirked. "Rach, I think you've done that enough in your lifetime."

Rachel dried her eyes and smiled. "Well of course I did. You're my best friend." She hugged Olivia and smiled. "And that's what best friends are for, right?"

Olivia chuckled. "I've never heard a more stupid phrase than that." She hugged her back. "But yeah, it most definitely is."

The two girls finished their day at work and went home, spending the rest of the day with each other.

* * *

><p>Later on that night, Olivia saw a pile of mail sitting on her kitchen table.<p>

"Rach, is this the mail from today?" she asked her friend, who was in the other room.

"Yeah!" Rachel replied. She walked into the kitchen and sat down in one of the chairs. "I meant to tell you. There's a letter in there for you." She winked at Olivia.

Olivia's heart sped up and she quickly looked through all the mail until she found what she was looking for. The letter with the Marine logo on it.

She ripped it open, and started reading out loud.

_Olivia,_

_There is not a single day that goes by when I don't think about you. I miss you more than you could know. The boys here make fun of me, because I can never stop talking about you. I can't believe I've been away from you for almost half a year. It seems like an eternity. Only a year and a half left until I see your beautiful face again._

_How's New York? Anything change since I've been gone? How's Rachel doing? Tell her I say hello. How's work?_

_Life sucks out here. War sucks. I would give anything to be back home with you and Rach. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually think I miss her and her annoying personality (don't tell her I said that) ;)._

_My sergeant is getting pissed at me because I'm taking too long to write this letter, so I should go. I love you so much, and I'm close to counting down the days until I see you again. Stay safe!_

_Love,_

_El_

After Olivia finished reading the letter, tears were streaming down her cheeks. Rachel stood up and pulled her into a hug. After a few minutes, Rachel frowned.

"He thinks I'm annoying?" she asked, trying to lighten Olivia's mood up.

Olivia chuckled through her tears. "Well…"

Rachel's mouth opened and she rolled her eyes. "My ass…"

Olivia laughed, then sighed. "Well, like he said. Only a year and a half left until we see each other again."

Rachel nodded. "You gotta take it one day at a time."

"One day at a time…" Olivia repeated. "Easier said than done."

Rachel smiled. "You can do it. I know you. You're Olivia fucking Benson. You can get through anything."

Olivia's mouth opened. "Rachel! Language!"

"Oh like you've never said that before…" Rachel trailed off, smirking.

Olivia shook her head and walked into her room, putting the letter from Elliot on her night stand next to a picture of the two of them.

In the picture, they look so happy. Olivia smiled as she remembered the exact moment it was taken. At a bar, at midnight, on the first New Year's Eve Elliot and her had ever had. Her lips were on his, and they were smiling like crazy.

She sat down on her bed, remembering that night perfectly.

_"Liv! It's almost time!" Rachel yelled to her friend, who was sitting right next to her in the crowded bar. "The countdown's about to begin!"_

_Olivia smiled. She had been waiting for midnight of New Year's Eve ever since she met Elliot. She turned back around to her boyfriend, but he was gone._

_Olivia frowned. He was just there five seconds ago. She stood up off the bar stool and looked around. She could barely see anything because of the massive crowd of people. Of course Rachel would choose to go to the bar right on Time's Square for New Year's Eve…_

_"10! 9!…" The crowd started counting down, and Olivia started to panic. Where was he? This was supposed to be a magic moment! They were supposed to kiss! It was New Year's Eve! Where could he have gone?_

_"8! 7!…" Olivia's face grew more and more worried. She stood up on the bar stool to see if she could find his face in the crowd, but he was nowhere to be seen._

_"6! 5!…" Olivia shook her head. If he didn't come back, her whole night would be ruined. She had been waiting for this moment forever. She sat back down on the bar stool and shook her head. Rachel noticed Elliot wasn't near Olivia, and frowned._

_4! 3!…" Olivia wanted to cry. He wasn't here. He wasn't going to make it back in time. Screw this night. Screw this year. It was ruined._

_Then, out of nowhere, someone grabbed her into their arms. She turned around, caught off guard and completely surprised. When she saw who it was, however, she let out a sigh of relief, and chuckled._

_"I thought you were going to miss this," she said to him._

_Elliot shook his head. "Never in a million years."_

_2! 1!…Happy New Year!" Elliot's lips found Olivia's immediately, and they both smiled because it felt so perfect. Rachel saw and grabbed her camera, quickly getting a picture before a random guy pulled her away._

_After a huge applause and the music started, Elliot pulled away. "Happy New Year Liv," he said to her, his smile still spreading across his face._

_Olivia laughed. It definitely was._

"Liv! Olivia!"

Olivia was pulled out of her thoughts at the sound of Rachel's voice.

She looked at her friend. "Sorry, I was just…thinking."

Rachel frowned, then shook her head. "I don't even wanna know. Anyway, you wanna go get some food. I'm hungry and there's nothing in this house."

Olivia nodded. "Sure."

Rachel turned around and walked out the room. Olivia looked at the picture one more time before doing the same.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Alright. Give me a show of hands...how many people hate Olivia's little boyfriend? Okay, a few of you. Now, give me a show of hands...how many of you want Elliot to come back? HOLY MOTHER OF GOD THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE. **

**As you can see, i miss Elliot. hahaha...ALOT. and you guys do too. i know it. **

**Drop me a review here, or follow me on twitter! Fiord_thewin.**

** I love you all! **

**-lawandorderSVUismylife-**

**A/N: (2) Oh, and i forgot to mention this...are you guys familiar with 'Stop Kony' and the 'Kony2012'? Well, you could make a giant difference in the world, and it would really help if you could get involved with me. I already have alot of friends helping, and a giant population of America, also. Go to Google and type in "Kony2012". Read and find out who Kony is and how we can stop him. Thank you all so much! **


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